By England have made one change to their XI for the fifth Test against India, bringing back Mark Wood to replace Ollie Robinson. Despite suggestions of fielding an extra seamer in the cool conditions of Dharamsala, captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum have decided to stick with the same bowling balance that was seen in Ranchi.
This lineup features two seamers and two frontline spinners, with Joe Root also available as an additional spin option. Stokes has hinted at the possibility of bowling in this Test, which could add to the team’s bowling options.
Wood has played in two Tests in this series, in Hyderabad and Rajkot, taking four wickets at an average of 55.5. He was rested after each of these appearances. Robinson, who played in Ranchi, had a difficult outing with a back issue affecting his bowling speeds, limiting him to just 13 overs in the match.
England XI for Dharamsala Test: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes, Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir, Mark Wood, James Anderson
