Ollie Robinson makes way for Mark Wood as England retain two spinners

England opted not to strengthen their bowling contingent for the fifth Test against India in Dharamsala, and named an XI with just one change – Mark Wood for Ollie Robinson – from the team which lost by five wickets in Ranchi last month.

Discussions ahead of the Test centered on the likelihood of England facing at least one additional seamer, given the cold conditions forecast in Dharamsala, and the fact that the surface for this match is the same as that used when all 36 wickets fell apart during a recent Ranji Trophy match between Himachal Pradesh and Delhi.

However, following a final inspection of the wicket, carried out by the management team of Ben Stokes, Brendon McCullum, Marcus Trescothick and Jeetan Patel, England opted to retain the balance that kept them competitive in Ranchi , with Shoaib Bashir's off-spin retained alongside Tom. Left arm spin from Hartley.

This is despite a cut on Bashir's spinning finger which he suffered during his 70-over workload in the fourth Test, but which England believe will not hamper him unduly. However, they are a little wary of stomach upset, meaning neither Bashir nor Robinson were present at the final training session of the England tour.

Both woke up Wednesday morning with “a slight stomach ache,” and the decision was made to leave them at the team hotel to prevent the virus from spreading to the rest of the team.

“You don’t want to put anyone in danger, that’s why we decided to keep them away from the team,” Stokes explained. “It's the most sensible thing to do. When there are so many people cooped up in the same space all the time, you want to limit the chance of spread. So to keep the two guys who are mildly ill at the hotel. guys, this is the sensible thing to do.”

Stokes firmly believes Bashir will recover from his illness, with no contingency plans set in stone. Fast bowler Gus Atkinson and Dan Lawrence, who plays part-time off-spin, are the other two members of the now 14-man squad.

“If that is the case [that Bashir is too ill to play], we will have to think about what we think is best. I didn't think very far. It's not a major problem, we just wanted to protect ourselves from spreading it to anyone else. »

Robinson's omission, a decision made before Wednesday morning, comes after a poor performance in the fourth Test, in which he suffered back pain while batting in England's first innings and n t was not used at all during India's successful run chase. He makes way for Wood, England's fastest bowler, who was rested in Ranchi after a heavy workload in Rajkot.

“It looks like a wicket that could have a bit of pace and carry it,” Stokes said. “Having a new Mark Wood on a wicket that you think is going to provide some pace – that's something that's been consistent every time we've gone for two seamers. Considering having a bowler like Jimmy but wanting to have pace and firepower to break the game is open. With two spinners, this allows us to play in both conditions at different times throughout the Test.

The absence of a specialist third seamer points to a return to fitness for England captain Stokes, who has increased his workload in the nets during this tour, after undergoing knee surgery during the 'winter. Stokes, however, dismissed this idea: “Whenever we have chosen the team for this tour, it has not been with any expectation of me bowling. If I bowl any overs in this game it will again be a bonus.”

England's attack will once again be led by James Anderson, who will be playing his fourth consecutive match on the tour at the age of 41, and needs two more wickets to reach 700 in Tests.

“It’s phenomenal to think about, especially as a seam bowler,” Stokes said of the milestone. “An incredible career to date, and I don’t see it stopping.

“I've been playing with Jimmy for a long time and I've never seen him as physically fit as he looks right now. Being 41 years old, showing that hunger and desire to get better every day is a testament to his attitude and commitment to the game.”

England XI 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope, 4 Joe Root, 5 Jonny Bairstow, 6 Ben Stokes (captain), 7 Ben Foakes (wk), 8 Tom Hartley, 9 Mark Wood, 10 James Anderson, 11 Shoaib Bashir