"Short, sharp spells" - Gus Atkinson vows to be England's 'impact bowler' in Test series against India

England speedster Gus Atkinson could be making his Test debut as the visitors are set to play five matches against India in the highly-anticipated Test series, which begins in Hyderabad on January 25.

Given the heat in the Indian conditions and workload management also being a factor, Atkinson understands that it will be a challenge for him to ensure his pace doesn't drop off.

Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Gus Atkinson explained how he is preparing to have short bursts with searing pace as a weapon against a quality Indian team in their den. He said:

"People talk about your pace and you get picked because you can bowl quick. You have to, and you want to, bowl quick, so that's definitely something that I'm going to focus on. Short, sharp spells in India is probably the way I imagine it going. Sort of an impact bowler."

Atkinson has played 14 first-class games, picking 45 wickets at an average of 26.64. He has played nine ODIs and three T20Is for England and also was a part of their 2023 World Cup squad.

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Gus Atkinson on the prospect of making Test debut

Like any uncapped player, even Gus Atkinson is excited thinking about the potential maiden Test cap that he could be getting for England. However, he understands that it is important for him to not get too ahead of himself and to focus on the job at hand.

On this, he stated:

"Test cricket is the one that you look at as a kid and think, yeah, that's the pinnacle. But, you know, I try to stay as level as possible and just sort of treat a call-up as a call-up, which is obviously an exciting thing."

Gus Atkinson also opened up about how happy his father was to hear about his Test call-up. He is hopeful that his brother and sister will be in India to cheer him on, something he missed during the 2023 World Cup.