England Makes Key Changes Ahead of Fourth Test Against India
England Leads Test Series Against India
In the ongoing five-match Test series between India and England, the hosts are currently leading 2-1. The fourth Test is scheduled to take place at Old Trafford in Manchester starting July 23. Prior to this match, England has made a significant change to their squad.
Injury Update on Shoaib Bashir
Shoaib Bashir sustained an injury during the third Test against India at Lord's, resulting in a fracture to his finger, which has ruled him out of the series. The injury occurred on the third day of the match when Ravindra Jadeja hit a powerful shot that struck Bashir's finger while he attempted to catch the ball. Despite the injury, the 21-year-old managed to bowl on the final day and secured the last wicket of the match, ensuring England's victory.
Liam Dawson's Return to the Squad
Replacing Bashir, 35-year-old left-arm spinner Liam Dawson has been brought into the team. Dawson last played Test cricket for England in July 2017 and has participated in only three Tests, alongside six ODIs and 14 T20 matches. He has taken seven wickets in Tests, five in ODIs, and eleven in T20s. However, he has consistently performed well in county cricket for Hampshire, earning the Player of the Year award in both 2023 and 2024.
Luke Wright, the chief selector for the England cricket team, stated, 'Liam Dawson deserves his place in the team. His performance in the County Championship has been outstanding, and he has been consistently good for Hampshire.'
Squads for the Fourth Test
England Squad: Ben Stokes (captain), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethel, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes.
India Squad: Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (vice-captain, wicketkeeper), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.