England have brought back express fast bowler Mark Wood as they attempt to salvage a consolation victory against India in the fifth Test in Dharamsala.
Ollie Robinson makes way after a wicketless outing last week on his competitive comeback in Ranchi, where India moved into an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.
Wood replacing Robinson is England’s only change to their XI as they persist with two spinners in Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir despite the coolest conditions of the tour in the foothills of the Himalayas.
We make one change for the final match of the series 🔁
🇮🇳 #INDvENG 🏴 | #EnglandCricket
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) March 6, 2024
Bashir – alongside Robinson – missed practice on Wednesday due to an upset stomach but it is not thought the issue will stop him from playing in 24 hours’ time, where middle-order batter Jonny Bairstow will make his 100th Test appearance.
England captain Ben Stokes said: “Before we even got here we thought it was probably going to be a three seam and one spin but turning up yesterday and seeing the wicket and again today, going with two seamers and two spinners is probably the right call.
“We thought there would be a bit more grass on the wicket just because of where we are but overall I think the wicket looks an absolute belter.
“If I was the captain of the one-day team here, I wouldn’t want to win the toss because I wouldn’t know what to do, just because of how good the wicket looks (for batting).
“Playing with two seamers and still having two spinners gives us a good mixture. When you’re a little bit unsure about what it could do as the Test match goes on, I’m confident with the team we’ve gone for.”
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