Visakhapatnam: Uncapped spinner Shoaib Bashir is all set to make his debut in the second Test here, as England continue to prefer a three-prong spin attack. Jack Leach is missing from the setup due to a knee injury.
The right-arm off-break Somerset bowler has six first-class games to his name. He has 10 wickets at an average of 67 in red-ball cricket.
Veteran pacer James Anderson also returns in place of Mark Wood. The 41-year-old pacer last featured against Australia at The Oval in July 2023.
England triumphed against India in adverse circumstances in the first Test in Hyderabad. After conceding a 190-run lead, the team fought on the back of a splendid 196 from Ollie Pope. Tom Hartley's 7/62 in the second innings won them the game by 28 runs.
The second Test will take place from 2 to 6 February in Visakhapatnam.
England are currently 8th on the World Test Championship standings, while India are at No.5.
England squad:
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes, Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir, James Anderson.
