Cricket News

England shake up attack: Ollie Robinson & Shoaib Bashir picked for Ranchi Test

England have thrown a curveball for the pivotal 4th Test against India, starting tomorrow in Ranchi. In a bid to claw back from a deficit, they’ve introduced two fresh faces: seasoned pacer Ollie Robinson and exciting newcomer Shoaib Bashir. These changes come at the expense of Mark Wood and Rehan Ahmed, signaling a clear shift in strategy. With India currently leading the series 2-1, this Test assumes immense importance for England.

The inclusion of Robinson is a gamble. The tall right-arm seamer played the last of his 19 Tests in July 2023 during the Ashes. Post that, he was sidelined by an injury, and the Ranchi Test will be his first professional match since recovering. Bashir, on the other hand, returns to the XI after having missed out on selection last week. The off-spinner made his debut in Visakhapatnam and bowled pretty well but was left out for the 3rd game in Rajkot as Ben Stokes opted for a second seamer.

It is understood that there was strong internal debate regarding the spot given to Bashir, with Dan Lawrence being a serious contender. However, England ultimately opted for the specialist spinner to bolster their attack.

England hope for Bairstow and Root to fire!

As England looks to come from behind and win the series, they will be hoping for two of their senior batters, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow to get back to form. The duo has had a torrid time so far, having accumulated less than 200 runs combined. Post the game in Rajkot, there were lots of calls for Bairstow to be dropped but Stokes and Brendon McCullum have shown faith in the 34-year-old. However, the rope is getting shorter and hence, Bairstow needs to honour the placed in him with a strong performance in Ranchi

There is also a possibility that Ben Stokes will bowl in the upcoming game. Stokes bowled quite a lot in the nets and if he does bowl, England will have three seamers to go with James Anderson and Robinson.