NEW DELHI: England have made one change to their playing XI for the fourth Test against India, bringing in slow left-arm orthodox spinner Liam Dawson in place of the injured Shoaib Bashir. The fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy begins at Old Trafford, Manchester, on July 23, with England leading the five-match series 2-1.Bashir was ruled out of the remainder of the series after suffering a fracture to the index finger on his left hand. The injury occurred on Day 3 of the third Test at Lord’s, when he attempted to stop a fierce drive from India’s Ravindra Jadeja. Bashir later underwent surgery but will play no further part in the series.Despite the injury setback, the 20-year-old off-spinner played a pivotal role in England’s 22-run win at Lord’s, claiming the final wicket to seal victory and put the hosts ahead in the series.In Bashir’s absence, 35-year-old Dawson has earned a recall to the Test side. He last played a Test match in July 2017 — his third — against South Africa. Dawson returns on the back of consistent performances in county cricket and brings valuable experience with both bat and ball.
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Interestingly, Dawson has over 10,000 runs in first-class cricket — a milestone yet to be reached by any Indian batter in the current Test squad.
Among India’s most experienced players, Karun Nair has 8,601 first-class runs, KL Rahul has 7,873, and Ravindra Jadeja has 7,850.England won the first Test at Headingley by five wickets, while India bounced back emphatically with a 336-run win at Edgbaston. The third Test at Lord’s went England’s way again, giving them a 2-1 lead heading into the crucial fourth encounter.England XI for 4th Test:Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (vc), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Liam Dawson, Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer.
