England’s lead spinner Jack Leach has been ruled out of the remaining three Tests against India after suffering a knee injury.
Leach hurt his left knee while fielding during the first Test in Hyderabad, which saw England mount a stunning fightback to overturn a 190-run first-innings deficit and take the lead in the series.
The Somerset man then missed the second match in Visakhapatnam, where the tourists failed to chase down a daunting target of 399 as India triumphed by 106 runs.
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On Sunday, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed Leach would not be able to return for the upcoming third Test in Rajkot and would fly home from the team’s Abu Dhabi base in the next 24 hours.
Leach has taken 126 wickets in 36 Test appearances, and his latest fitness setback comes as a major blow after he missed last year’s Ashes series against Australia with a back issue.
England have confirmed they will not be calling up a replacement, with young trio Tom Hartley, Rehan Ahmed and Shoaib Bashir their remaining spin options, alongside former captain Joe Root.
The third Test begins on Thursday, with the series subsequently heading to Ranchi and Himachal Pradesh before wrapping up by mid-March.
We’re all with you, Leachy ❤️
Nobody braver than you 💪Jack Leach has been ruled out of the remainder of our Test series with India.#INDvENG | #EnglandCricket
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) February 11, 2024
