A day before the start of the second Test against India, England have announced their playing XI for the match in Vizag, making two changes. Uncapped spinner Shoaib Bashir comes in as a replacement for the injured Jack Leach while the veteran James Anderson has replaced express pacer Mark Wood in the team. Leach did well for England in the first Test but injured himself ahead of the second match in Visakhapatnam. Bashir, who was unavailable for selection in the first match due to a visa issue, will make his Test debut in the match.
The 41-year-old Anderson last featured against Australia at The Oval in July 2023.
The visitors are 1-0 up in the series after a 28-run win in Hyderabad and will face hosts on Friday at the Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in the second match of the series.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) stated that there are two changes in the team and Shoaib Bashir will replace Jack Leach who has been ruled out with a knee injury.
Bashir, an uncapped spinner, will make his debut in the Visakhapatnam Test, as the visitors continue with a three-prong spin attack.
Bashir, who missed out on the first Test due to visa issues, linked up with the England team in Hyderabad ahead of the second Test.
Spinner Rehan Ahmed has been retained after a limited role in Hyderabad. England prevailed against India in adverse circumstances in the first Test. After conceding 190-run lead in the first innings, the visitors fought on the back of a splendid 196 from Ollie Pope. Tom Hartley's 7/62 in the second innings helped them win the game by 28 runs.
England's XI:
1. Zak Crawley
2. Ben Duckett
3. Ollie Pope
4. Joe Root
5. Jonny Bairstow
6. Ben Stokes (C)
7. Ben Foakes
8. Rehan Ahmed
9. Tom Hartley
10. Shoaib Bashir
11. James Anderson
With ANI inputs