IND vs ENG: Jack Leach Likely To Miss Second Test Due To Knee Injury
IND vs ENG: Jack Leach sustained a knee injury in the first Test and is unlikely to recover in time for the second Test beginning on February 2.
England spinner Jack Leach looks likely to miss the second Test match against England beginning on February 2 in Visakhapatnam Test due to a knee injury suffered in the first Test. It is being reported that Leach missed practice ahead of the second Test and is unlikely to recover in time for the second Test match in Vizag. Despite sustaining an injury midway through the opening Test, Leach managed to bowl 10 overs in the second innings and even picked up a wicket as England beat India by 28 runs to register a historic victory. With Leach looking set to miss the match, seems like it would be Shoaib Bashir who could earn his maiden Test cap.
"He's (Leach) a tough cookie," England opener Zak Crawley told BBC Sport.
"You can never write him off. He had a sore knee in the last game and we'll see how he pulls up. At the moment he's still in contention to play. Obviously it would be a shame for Leachy to miss out, he's a fantastic bowler, but we've got good depth. We've got a good spin attack and good seamers to back them up," he added.
England Could Go In With All-Spin Attack In Visakhapatnam, Says Brendon McCullum
Meanwhile, England head coach Brendon McCullum has not ruled out the possibility of Three Lions heading into the second Test with an all-spin attack especially if the ball turns as much as it did in Hyderabad. With Joe Root also proving to be a handy option with the ball and Tom Hartley returning with a match-winning seven-wicket haul on his debut, McCullum could seriously consider that option.
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"If the wickets continue to spin as much as what we saw in the first Test as the series goes on, look, we won't be afraid to play all spinners or a balance of what we've got," the former New Zealand skipper was quoted as saying to SEN Radio.
Meanwhile, India are dealing with injury concerns themselves with KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja ruled out due to injuries. Sarfaraz Khan, Sourabh Kumar and Washington Sundar have been announced as injury replacements.
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