England vs India 4th Test: Liam Dawson replaces injured Bashir, Anshul Kamboj likely to debut for India amid pace crisis

England have announced one change to their playing XI for the upcoming fourth Test against India at Old Trafford, starting Wednesday. All-rounder Liam Dawson returns to the Test arena after seven years, replacing Shoaib Bashir, who is out due to injury.

Dawson, who last played a Test in July 2017, comes in as a spin option on a surface expected to assist turn. The Hampshire player brings both batting depth and bowling variety, stepping in after Bashir suffered a broken finger during the first innings of the Lord’s Test. Despite the injury, Bashir took the match-winning wicket to give England a 2-1 series lead before undergoing surgery to insert a wire in his left pinkie.

England’s Playing XI

Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Liam Dawson, Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer.

For India, all eyes are on Anshul Kamboj, the 24-year-old pacer who may be handed his Test debut amid a string of injuries to key fast bowlers. Kamboj, who was drafted in as cover, joined the squad on Saturday and impressed during Monday’s net session, particularly with his control and consistency against top-order batsmen like KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, and Yashasvi Jaiswal.

With Akaash Deep still recovering from a groin issue and Arshdeep Singh ruled out due to a hand injury, India’s pace battery is stretched. That leaves Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Prasidh Krishna, and Kamboj in contention. Given Prasidh’s limited use with the new ball during training, a debut for Kamboj seems increasingly likely.

As both teams grapple with injury-enforced changes, the fourth Test promises to be a pivotal clash with India aiming to level the five-match series 2-2.