Sophie Ecclestone returns to England duty this week after a near five-month absence with Tammy Beaumont admitting they will need the slow left-armer’s fighting qualities against India.

A knee injury meant the spinner missed the recent clean sweep of the West Indies under England’s new leadership team of head coach Charlotte Edwards and captain Nat Sciver-Brunt.

Ecclestone then took a break from playing for Lancashire to manage a sore quad and “prioritise her wellbeing” but she is in contention for England’s tour-opening T20 against India on Saturday.

It would be her first international appearance since the Women’s Ashes debacle in early February, with England whitewashed 16-0 in the multi-format series, and Beaumont will be glad to have Ecclestone back.

“For her to get back fit is brilliant,” Beaumont said. “She’s such a key part of our team, she’s one of the best bowlers in the world and has been for years.

“The fact we obviously did so well against the West Indies without her, I think it will be great to welcome someone like that back in, particularly her character in that dressing room.

“She’s always someone you want in the heat of the battle, she gets stuck in and we’re going to need that against India, for certain.”

With former captain Heather Knight out for the summer, Beaumont will be hoping to edge out Paige Scholfield for a spot in England’s XI on her home ground of Trent Bridge this weekend.

The five T20s and three ODIs is India’s first tour in England since the controversial run-out at the non-striker’s end, more informally known as the ‘Mankad’, by Deepti Sharma on Charlie Dean in 2022.

The incident is among a number of historic moments between the two nations chronicled in an ECB trailer for the joint men’s and women’s series this summer, directed by Bend It Like Beckham’s Gurinder Chadha.

Beaumont insisted there is no lingering bad blood between the two countries, with Deepti and Dean having shared a dressing room since then as team-mates at London Spirit in The Hundred.

“It’s gone, it’s in the past,” Beaumont added. “It happens. It’s in the laws and unless the laws change and become a little bit more obvious on what counts and what doesn’t then it’s going to keep happening.

“We’ve got to get on board with that unfortunately. I’m sure externally there will be a lot of replays, especially (the second ODI) at Lord’s (on July 19).

“But we’ll be making sure our bats are behind the line when we’re taking off and we’ll be playing it in a good spirit and definitely respectful to all their players as well.”