Ollie Robinson and Shoaib Bashir will play the fourth Test against India as England roll the dice in this must-win game on a cracked Ranchi pitch. The pair, who will replace Mark Wood and Rehan Ahmed, are the only changes from the 434-run defeat against India in Rajkot, which leaves England 2-1 down, desperate to keep this five-match series alive.
Robinson will play his first Test in India, returning to the side for the first time since suffering a back spasm in the first innings of the third Ashes Test last July, which was also his last competitive match. He will line up alongside James Anderson, who pulled up well after bowling 38 overs in the third Test at Rajkot, with match figures of 1 for 139.
Somerset offspinner Bashir has also been chosen ahead of Rehan, who is the team’s second-highest wicket-taker with 11 wickets at 44 from three matches. The 19-year-old has bowled valiantly, but found himself targeted by India’s batters in the second innings at Rajkot, returning 1 for 108 from 25 overs.
The decision to opt for the high-actioned finger-spin of Bashir rather than stick with Rehan’s wrist-spin reflects England’s impression of what Stokes described as an “interesting” surface, which they believe will contribute to a fast-moving, spin-friendly game. Surrey’s Dan Lawrence was also considered for Bashir’s spot, offering part-time off-spin while reinforcing the batting.
Instead, Bashir will join Tom Hartley and Joe Root as a slow-bowling trio. Bashir made his debut in the second Test at Visakhapatnam, taking 3 for 138 and 1 for 58 in the match, after visa issues forced him to miss the series opener in Hyderabad.
This will be Robinson’s 20th cap, and his selection is a show of faith in the 30-year-old. Despite 76 dismissals at an average of 22.21, he has constantly faced questions about his fitness and ability to bowl multiple spells across the full duration of a Test match, at a consistently challenging place. Having worked hard to improve his fitness over the last nine months, he has the chance to restate his worth as a Test bowler when England need him most.
He will playing alongside the veteran Anderson, who had been considered as one of the likelier bowlers to make way, following his heavy workload in Rajkot and the short turnaround between matches. He currently has six wickets at 35.83 in his two appearances to date, but has been backed at the age of 41 to lead the line once more.
England: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope, 4 Joe Root, 5 Jonny Bairstow, 6 Ben Stokes (capt), 7 Ben Foakes (wk), 8 Tom Hartley, 9 Ollie Robinson, 10 James Anderson, 11 Shoaib Bashir
