IND vs ENG: Harry Brook replacement named, middle-order batter was part of 2021 India vs England Test series

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IND vs ENG: Dan Lawrence has been named as Harry Brook's replacement for the 5-Test series against England starting January 25 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

The development comes after the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on Sunday (January 21) that Harry Brook will be returning home due to personal reasons, and miss out on all the five Test matches.

"Harry Brook is set to return home with immediate effect for personal reasons from the England Men’s Test tour of India. He will not be returning to India," the ECB release said.

"The Brook family respectfully requests privacy during this time. In light of this, the ECB and the family kindly request the media and the public to respect their wish for privacy and refrain from intruding on their private space.

"The England selectors will confirm a replacement player for the tour in due course," the statement added.

The 24-year-old has played a total of 12 matches and scored 1181 runs at an average of 62.15 and a strike rate of 91.76. The right-hand batter has hit four hundreds and seven fifties since his Test debut in September, 2022. He was expected to play a key role for England in the middle-order against India.

His replacement Dan Lawrence was part of the England team which toured India for four Test matches in 2021. He was dismissed for a duck in the first innings of the first Test. He registered scores of 18, 9 and 26 in the next three innings before being dropped for the third Test.

Lawrence came back to play in the fourth and final Test and scored 46 and 50 runs in the first and second innings respectively. However, England lost that match by an innings and 25 runs.

Overall, the right-hand batter has scored 551 runs in 11 matches at an average of 29. He last featured in a Test match in March 2022 against West Indies. Lawrence also give England an off-spin option in India. He has three Test wickets to his name.

England squad for Test series vs India: Ben Stokes, James Anderson, Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson*, Jonny Bairstow, Shoib Bashir*, Dan Lawrence, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes (wk), Tom Hartley*, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Mark Wood. (* indicates uncapped players)