Leach ruled out of rest of Test series in India،
Jack Leach has been ruled out of the remainder of England's Test series against India after failing to recover from a knee injury. The left-arm spinner damaged his left knee on the opening day of the first Test in Hyderabad, diving to stop a boundary and colliding with the ground. He then aggravated his injury on the second morning.
The extent of the swelling in the 32-year-old's knee prevented him from moving freely, limiting him to a maximum of four periods for the remainder of the test. Leach bowled 26 overs in the first innings, but could only bowl 10 in the second. He still managed to dismiss Shreyas Iyer, as England sealed the victory by 28 runs.
A lack of improvement in his condition meant he was subsequently ruled out of the second Test in Visakhapatnam, which India won to contest the series. Initially, it was hoped that the 10-day break in the series would give Leach more time to recover, although there remained a doubt for the third Test in Rajkot.
After further assessment in Abu Dhabi, where the England team were based during this gap, Leach decided to return home for further treatment and miss the final three Tests.
An ECB statement said: “He will return from Abu Dhabi in the next 24 hours, where the England team remains ahead of the third Test in Rajkot, which begins on Thursday.
“Leach will work closely with the medical teams in England and Somerset on his rehabilitation.”
England have confirmed they will not replace Leach, who has been Ben Stokes' main player throughout his tenure. It's another blow for a popular member of the dressing room, who had only just returned from a stress fracture in his back that ruled him out of last summer's Ashes.
It means England's spin options are now limited to the young trio of Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir – who made his debut in the second Test as a replacement for Somerset team-mate Leach – alongside Joe Root as the only all-rounder in the team. .
Leach's absence means England are likely to depart from the one-seam approach for the next Test, which begins on Thursday. The tourists could look to pair James Anderson with Mark Wood (who played the first Test before being replaced by Anderson for the second) or Ollie Robinson.
As always, a lot will depend on Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum's assessment of the surface. The team will return to India on Monday before their first training session on Tuesday at the Niranjan Shah Stadium.
