RANCHI: England’s skipper, Ben Stokes, won the toss and chose to bat first against India in the fourth Test. Trailing 2-1 after consecutive defeats, the visitors must secure a victory to keep their hopes alive. England announced two changes to their lineup on Thursday, bringing in spinner Shoaib Bashir and fast bowler Ollie Robinson in place of Rehan Ahmed and Mark Wood. Ahmed, who claimed 11 wickets in the preceding matches, departed the tour for “personal reasons” and won’t return.
Despite initial plans to focus solely on batting due to knee concerns, all-rounder Stokes has been practicing bowling and might take up the role in the Test.
Meanwhile, India, led by Rohit Sharma, made a single change, granting fast bowler Akash Deep his debut Test cap in lieu of Jasprit Bumrah. Stokes remarked on the challenging conditions of the Ranchi pitch, noting its cracks expected to favor spinners. After India’s comeback from an opening loss, anticipation runs high for the outcome of this crucial encounter.
Teams
India: Rohit Sharma (capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj.
England: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (capt), Ben Foakes, Ollie Robinson, James Anderson, Shoaib Bashir, Tom Hartley.
Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena (SRI), Rod Tucker (AUS)
TV Umpire: Joel Wilson (WIS)
Match Referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL)
