Billings has stepped in as a COVID substitute for ben foxWhose place is suspected while he undergoes five days of isolation.
A possible turnaround for the India Test would be the return James Anderson Headingley to lead the attack, after missing the match with an ankle injury.
An additional @sambillings joins the squad for the fifth Test against @BCCI! #Engwind
— england cricket (@englandcricket) 1656346880505000
The rescheduled match is a part of last year’s five-match Test series that had to be delayed after the fourth Test due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the Indian camp.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)’s announcement came after the hosts completed a series whitewash against New Zealand after a seven-wicket win at Headingley. Jonathan Bairstow remained unbeaten on 71 off 44 balls while Root scored 86* as England won by seven wickets.
With the win, England overtook New Zealand in the standings with a win percentage of 28.89. New Zealand now occupy the last spot in the table just above Bangladesh with a win percentage of 25.93.
England Test Team: Ben Stokes (Durham) Captain, James Anderson (Lancashire), Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire), Sam Billings (Kent), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Harry Brooke (Yorkshire), Zach Crowley (Kent), Ben Fox (Surrey), Jack Leach (Somerset), Alex Lees (Durham), Craig Overton (Somerset), Jamie Overton (Surrey), Matthew Potts (Durham), Ollie Pope (Surrey), and Joe Root (Yorkshire).
The All India Senior Selection Committee on Monday included Mayank Agarwal in India’s Test squad as captain’s cover for the rescheduled fifth Test. Rohit Sharma, who tested positive for COVID-19. Mayank has left for the UK and will join the team in Birmingham.
India’s Test Team: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Ravindra JadejaRavichandran Ashwin, Shardul ThakurMohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Famous Krishna and Mayank Agarwal.