England recall Bashir, include Robinson for 4th Test versus India
England have confirmed their XI for the fourth and penultimate Test against India in Ranchi, starting on February 23. The visitors have made a couple of changes to the XI that suffered a thumping 434-run defeat in the preceding game in Rajkot. Pacer Ollie Robinson and young spinner Shoaib Bashir have come in place of Rehan Ahmed and Mark Wood. Here is more.
Bashir gets another go
The 20-year-old off-spinner Bashir warmed the benches in the third Test after making his international debut in the second game. He took four wickets across two innings, conceding 196 runs in 53 overs. Meanwhile, Robinson is set to play his first Test on Indian soil. He would partner veteran pacer James Anderson. The former owns 76 Test scalps at 22.21.
Rehan has claimed 11 wickets in the series
Although Rehan has claimed 11 wickets in the ongoing series, he has struggled to apply pressure on Indian batters regularly. His average and economy of 44 and 4.08, respectively, state the same. Meanwhile, Wood was impressive in the Rajkot Test, claiming 4/114 in India's first innings. However, he went wicketless in his other three innings of the series.
Bairstow, Root retain their places
Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow have retained their places despite poor returns in this series. While the former has managed just 77 runs at 12.83, Bairstow owns 102 runs at 17. Many reckoned the latter could be dropped in favor of Daniel Lawrence. However, the team management has shown their trust in Bairstow.
Will Stokes bowl in Ranchi?
Meanwhile, England skipper Ben Stokes is open to the possibility of reprising his all-rounder role in the final two Tests. He did not bowl in the first three games. "I managed to bowl at 100% in one of the warm-up days here which made me feel pretty good. I felt like I could have bowled in the game," he said after the Rajkot Test.
Here is England's XI
England XI for the fourth Test: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (captain), Ben Foakes (wicket-keeper), Shoaib Bashir, Tom Hartley, Ollie Robinson, and James Anderson. Notably, it's a do-or-die game for England as they trail 1-2 in the five-match affair. After narrowly clinching the opener, they suffered two emphatic defeats on the bounce.
