The star of the first Test drops out
James Anderson and Jofra Archer are among the names who will sit out England’s second Test against India in Chennai, as the selectors stick to their policy of rotation.
While Archer is ruled out through injury, after having an injection in his elbow, Anderson is rested, with Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes and Olly Stone coming in to the attack in their place.
Off-spinner Dom Bess also misses out, with Moeen Ali replacing him alongside Jack Leach.
Jofra Archer, James Anderson and Jos Buttler are among the names who will miss out on England's second Test against India pic.twitter.com/drsHRLmmSw
— JOE (@JOE_co_uk) February 12, 2021
Wicket-keeper batsman Jos Buttler has also been replaced by Ben Foakes, who makes his first Test appearance since January 2019.
The 12-man squad is as follows: Joe Root (c), Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Ben Foakes (w), Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.
Root will confirm his eleven-man squad at the toss, when the second Test begins on Saturday morning at 9am GMT.
England won the first Test of the series thanks to spectacular performances with the bat from Root and a stunning double wicket maiden over from Anderson, which proved once and for all that he can indeed make it swing without the help of the clouds.
England were criticised for not declaring early enough in the second innings, which many feared would lead to a draw, but Anderson has since explained on the Tailenders podcast that they wanted to put the game beyond India’s reach before trying to bowl them out for a second time.
And so it worked. The remarkable victory overseas has inspired new confidence in a team that has struggled to rack up high batting scores in tough conditions, and comes as a welcome surprise ahead of the winter Ashes series at the end of the year.
