England has chosen to stick with their original XI for the fifth Test against India in Dharamsala, making just one change – Mark Wood replacing Ollie Robinson from the previous match. Despite speculation about adding an extra seamer due to the cold conditions, England opted for balance with Shoaib Bashir’s offspin retained alongside Tom Hartley’s left-arm spin.
Although Bashir sustained a cut to his spinning finger in the previous Test, England believes it won’t hamper his performance. However, stomach complaints kept both Bashir and Ollie Robinson away from the last training session, prompting precautionary measures to prevent the bug from spreading.
Stokes is confident that Bashir will recover from the illness, with no definite backup plan in place. Fast bowler Gus Atkinson and Dan Lawrence, who bowls part-time off-spin, are the other options available.
England decided to exclude Ollie Robinson before Wednesday morning due to his lackluster performance in the fourth Test and a back strain during batting. They replaced him with Wood, England’s fastest bowler, who had been rested in Ranchi.
The absence of a specialist third seamer hints at Stokes’ possible return to bowling fitness, although he downplayed the expectation of him bowling in this match.
James Anderson will spearhead England’s bowling attack, on the verge of reaching 700 Test wickets, displaying remarkable fitness and commitment at 41 years old.
The England XI for the fifth Test includes Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (capt), Ben Foakes (wk), Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, James Anderson, and Shoaib Bashir.
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