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Ben Foakes has been recalled to the 16-man team that
will travel to the United Arab Emirates next week in advance of the first Test
in Hyderabad on January 25, but Jonny Bairstow is unsure if he will continue to
play as England’s wicketkeeper throughout their five-Test series in India.
In the six Test matches that England played in their
home country in 2023—five against Australia and one against Ireland—Bairstow
kept wicket, but he is not a lock to start at first base in India. He made a
lot of mistakes in his opening Ashes match at Edgbaston, but as the summer
progressed, he got better, finishing with 23 catches and a stumping.
Rob Key, England’s managing director, said when
announcing England’s squad that Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum would make a
decision based on “balance of the side… all kinds of contributing
factors” and highlighted the differences between keeping wicket in England
and India.
“I’ve not spoken to anyone about that,”
Bairstow said in an interview with Sky Sports. “As long as I’m over there,
as long as I’m fit and firing, the selection decisions will be taken out of my
hands. But look, I’m fairly happy with where I’m at, whether I’m keeping,
batting or whatever it is.”
Key begged Bairstow to “get himself into a
position where he can go and take on an Indian Test” following England’s
World Cup elimination. The odd accident that kept him out of action last
winter, he said, has made the last six weeks “really valuable” in his
recovery.
“I’ve been getting my ankle right, just training
in the gym pretty hard, catching up with friends and family,” Bairstow
said. “Having come back from the injury that I had, it was a pretty
full-on summer… it’s been great to just have a bit of a refresh, have a bit of
time with the family and just to make sure the ankle is as good as it can
be.”