England seamer Mark Wood made a return to the playing XI, replacing off-spinner Shoaib Bashir on the eve of the third Test against India at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot on Wednesday.
Wood played the first Test in Hyderabad as the lone specialist seamer and was rested for veteran James Anderson during the second Test in Visakhapatnam. The 34-year-old Wood had gone wicketless in the opening game.
Meanwhile, rookie Bashir who made his Test debut in Vizag, returned four wickets including the prized scalps of India skipper Rohit Sharma and second-innings centurion Shubman Gill. Speaking on the inclusion of Wood, England skipper Ben Stokes said: “(Rajkot pitch) is a true flat wicket. Looks a good wicket. The extra seamer gives us the best chance to win.
“Bashir did incredibly well in his first game. I have no doubt there will be more opportunities, even in this series. Having an extra seamer allows us to use Wood differently than we did in the first Test. Jimmy (Anderson) has shown his class,” Stokes ahead of his milestone 100th Test.
England Playing XI for third Test: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes, Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, James Anderson
