Mark Wood named in England XI for Rajkot Test, Shoaib Bashir sits out

Mark Wood has been recalled into the England playing XI for the third Test against India that gets underway on Thursday. Spinner Shoaib Bashir will sit out the contest in Rajkot with the series locked at 1-1.

England employed a single seamer strategy in both Tests in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam. In Hyderabad, Wood played as the lone seamer but went wicketless on a surface that did not suit his express pace. However, he has been recalled to partner James Anderson, who impressed with five wickets in Visakhapatnam in the second Test, on a surface that had been more green-tinged in the lead-up to the match.

Wood is the only change to the starting XI, with Bashir sitting out after claiming four wickets on debut in the second Test. It means that England will be playing two seamers for the first time in the series.

Rehan Ahmed’s participation in the Rajkot Test had been in some doubt after he encountered visa issues on return to India, following the team’s mid-series break in Abu Dhabi. However, that issue has been resolved.

England XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (capt), Ben Foakes (wk), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, James Anderson