England bring in Robinson, Bashir for Ranchi Test

England have made two changes in their XI for the fourth Test in Ranchi, starting on Friday (February 23), with Ollie Robinson and Shoaib Bashir replacing Rehan Ahmed and Mark Wood.

Rehan sent down 47 overs in the third Test in Rajkot, which England lost by a record margin of 434 runs. The legspinner scalped three wickets but leaked runs at an economy of more than 4.

Meanwhile, Wood claimed four wickets in 27.5 overs in the first innings but bowled only 10 overs in the second essay. He leaked runs at 4.6 and looked far from his best in the second innings. He also struggled with his fitness and didn't look in great rhythm.

Robinson last played a Test in July 2023 where he bowled only 11.2 overs before leaving the field after suffering a back spasm. Overall, the 30-year-old seamer has 76 wickets in 19 Tests at an impressive average of 22.21.

Offspinner Bashir debuted in the second Test in Vizag but was dropped for the Rajkot game. The 20-year-old took four wickets in the match but conceded nearly 200 runs. This will be his first Test in India.

Despite struggling for runs, England have decided to stick with Jonny Bairstow. The 34-year-old has scored only 102 runs across six innings at an average of 17. Daniel Lawrence is the only other frontline batter in the England set-up.

England won the first Test in Hyderabad but have lost the last two games and are trailing 2-1 in the five-match series.

Playing XI - Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes (wk), Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir, Ollie Robinson, James Anderson.