IND vs ENG 2nd Test: Two changes in England's Playing 11 for Vizag Test

Jack Leach's injury and James Anderson's ability to use the old ball for reverse swing, forced the English team management to make two changes in their playing 11 for the second Test vs India

Off-break bowler Shoaib Bashir, who was in the news for his visa delay, will make his Test debut for England in the second Test against India, starting February 02, 2024, at Vishakhapatnam (Vizag) in Andhra Pradesh, informed the England and Wales Cricket Board on Thursday.

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Along with Bashir, James Anderson has also been recalled into England playing 11 for the second Test against India. While Bashir has replaced Jack Leach, Anderson will take over Mark Wood's fast-bowling duties.

 

Why was James Anderson picked over Mark Wood?

Wood, who bowled 25 wicketless overs in England’s win over India in the Hyderabad Test, could not make an impact, either with the new or the old ball. Anderson reckoned to be one of the most versatile users of the old ball to extract reverse swing with it, and it will be more efficient to Engalnd’s strategies going forward.

Players with most wickets in second innings of a Test

Player	Country	Mat	Overs	Wkts	Avg	Best	5w	S/R	E/R
J M Anderson*	England	100	2199	233	26.43	7/43	15	56.63	2.8
M Muralitharan	Sri Lanka	61	2119	228	21.4	7/46	21	55.76	2.3
S K Warne	Australia	80	2053	193	28.38	7/23	12	63.82	2.67
S C J Broad*	England	88	1846.4	193	28.3	6/31	8	57.41	2.96
G D McGrath	Australia	68	1587.5	187	21.2	7/76	12	50.95	2.5

Stats Courtesy- Howstat  

The 41-year-old was fired up on his last trip to India in the Chennai Test, where he took three second-inning wickets with the reverse-swinging ball to power his team to the lone win on the tour. He has the most wickets for any bowler in the second innings of a match in Test history and more than a decent record in India to be favoured to play ahead of any other pacer in this England line-up.

James Anderson's record in Tests vs India 

Feat	Matches	Innings	Overs	Wickets	BBI	BBM	Average	ER	SR	5W
Against India	35	66	1276.2	139	5/20	9/43	24.89	2.71	55	6
In India	13	22	375.4	34	4/40	6/79	29.32	2.65	66.2	0

Stats Courtesy- ESPNCricinfo

Will England miss Leach's experience?

Jack Leach got injured on the second day of the Hyderabad Test and only aggravated his knee injury on the third day. In the entire match, Leach could only bowl 36 overs. However, he was very effective with the ball and brought control in the first innings with Rohit Sharma's wicket. In the second innings, he got the crucial wicket of Shreyas Iyer, and therefore, he will be missed as left-arm spin is hard to play for the Indian batters.

Also Read: IND-ENG 2nd Test: Sarfaraz or Rajat? Who should replace Rahul in India's XI
 

Tom Hartley to be England's lead spinner?

In Leach’s absence, Tom Hartley, who picked nine wickets on debut, including a seven-for in the fourth innings, would become the lead spinner for the England side, although he has played one game less than Rehan Ahmed. However, on the count of wickets, Hartley has taken more in just one Test than the leggie Ahmed has managed in his two Tests.
 

How could Bashir be effective?

The English coach, Brendon McCullum, is confident of Bashir, the spinner. While the 20-year-old has only played six first-class games and has had limited opportunity to shine, the coach believes that, like Hartley, he can also be a game-changer in Indian conditions.

“Like Tom Hartley, he was a guy we looked at and we thought he's got some skills which could assist us in these conditions. When he arrived, the boys gave him a huge cheer. He comes into calculations for the next Test match. If the wickets continue to spin as much as what we saw in the first Test as the series goes on, look, we won't be afraid to play all spinners or a balance of what we've got,” McCullum had told SENZ radio.
 

With Joe Root bowling 48 overs in the last match, it would be wrong to say that England only has three spinners and Root might be the most experienced spinner in the side. He will now have a helping hand in Bashir to share the workload of off-spin bowling.