Mark Wood has been recalled to the England team for the third Test against India in Rajkot.
Wood replaces Shoaib Bashir in the only change with England, for the first time in the series, going with two non-spin options in their bowling attack.
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Durham paceman Wood played in the first Test in Hyderabad but struggled, returning match figures of none for 62.
James Anderson replaced him in Visakhapatnam and preformed much better, taking five wickets across the two innings despite the home side winning by 106 runs to level the five-match series at 1-1.
Bashir can count himself a touch unfortunate having played well on debut in the last Test. However, with the pitch at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium having a green tinge, the tourists have opted to play just two spinners in Tom Hartley and Rehan Ahmed with support from Joe Root.
One change to our XI for the third Test in Rajkot 🏏 🔁
🇮🇳 #INDvENG 🏴 #EnglandCricket
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) February 14, 2024
England captain Ben Stokes, who will make his 100th Test appearance for England, explained: “Taking a bit of knowledge from the last Test match we played here, albeit a long time ago, it was a pretty true, flat wicket.
“Looking at it today, it looks a bit platey but I think it’s a good wicket.
“Bringing in an extra seamer this week is the option we’ve gone with because we think it’s going to give us the best chance of winning this week.”
The England team is: Crawley, Duckett, Pope, Root, Bairstow, Stokes (c), Foakes (wk), Ahmed, Hartley, Wood, Anderson
