India vs England: Bashir, Anderson replace Leach, Wood in visitors' playing XI for second Test
India vs England: Bashir, Anderson replace Leach, Wood in visitors' playing XI for second Test
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England have made two changes for the second Test against India that gets underway on Friday. Shoaib Bashir and Jimmy Anderson have come into the playing XI for the contest in Visakhapatnam with Jack Leach and Mark Wood sitting out.
Leach picked up a knee injury while fielding in the opening Test, which England won by 28 runs, and had missed the practice session on Wednesday. Bashir comes into the playing XI as a like-for-like replacement with England once again going for three spinners.
Shoaib Bashir, 20-year-old Somerset offspinner, will thus make his Test debut. He was not in contention for the opening Test after visa complications meant he arrived later in India.
“He was just taking it all in to be honest, landing that early then coming in and seeing what had gone on,” said England captain Ben Stokes on Bashir joining the team on Sunday.
“I think he really enjoyed being in that dressing room. There’s no worries and no issues for me that he’s been away from the group for a period of time, then coming back in to make his debut,” he added.
“It’s not like he’s forgotten how to bowl”.
And once again, England have gone with one seamer as veteran Jimmy Anderson, 10 wickets away from 700 wickets, has come in to do the hard task of making a mark on Indian wickets. Mark Wood, who was used sparingly in Hyderabad, has been asked to sit out after going wicketless in Hyderabad.
It will be Anderson’s 184th Test appearance, and his first of the year, and will complete another lop-sided Test attack, with rest of England’s specialist bowlers boasting a total of just three Test caps.
Stokes hailed his old warhorse Anderson. “Bringing Jimmy’s experience, the class that he has, is great and I think it also goes under the radar how good his record in India is,” said Stokes.
“He has different skill sets that I will be able to exploit in Indian conditions.”
Stokes also defended Wood for going wicketless in the first Test.
“The sort of wicket last week didn’t really offer too much assistance. He’ll definitely have a part to play further on,” said Stokes.
Part-time spinner Joe Root returned a match haul of five wickets in the opener, including four in India’s first innings, and ably supported the young slow bowlers including Tom Hartley and teenager Rehan Ahmed.
“To also have the benefit of Joe’s bowling out here is obviously massive,” said Stokes.
England lead the five-match Test series 1-0.
England XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (C), Ben Foakes, Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir, James Anderson
