England has faced a setback before the second Test against India as seasoned spinner Jack Leach will not be available due to an injury. It has been confirmed by the English skipper Ben Stokes on Wednesday.
The 32-year-old is the most experienced among the spinners in the England squad touring India. He suffered a knee injury during the first Test on Sunday.
Leach sustained the knee injury while fielding on the first day of the Test in Hyderabad, where England surprised the hosts with a 28-run victory, securing a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. The issue is reported to have worsened during the morning session of the second day. Despite the injury, Leach managed to bowl 10 overs in the second innings and secured the crucial wicket of Shreyas Iyer, who scored 13 runs.
While talking during a press conference about Leach, Stokes said, “He’s ruled out of the second Test. Hopefully, it does not keep him out for longer in the series.”
The 20-year-old spinner, Shoaib Bashir is a potential candidate to make his international debut as a replacement for Leach. Bashir missed the opening Test against India due to a delay in visa, but the issue has now been resolved.
“When it came to the selection of the squad, there wasn’t too much thought around him because everyone was very, very impressed with what Bash (Bashir) showed,” Stokes added. “Everything we wanted in our spin group was answered by Bashir.”
