Mark Wood replaces Shoaib Bashir for England’s third Test against India | Michael Atherton reacts

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Mark Wood returns to the England side for the third Test against India, starting on Thursday in Rajkot.

Wood replaces Shoaib Bashir, who made his debut in the 106-run loss in the second Test, as England name two seamers in their starting line-up for the first time in the series.

Former England captain Michael Atherton gives his thoughts ahead of the important test match.

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Right okay England are tied 1-1 with India heading into the third test in rajot that starts tomorrow and we are joined by former England Captain Michael Aon he joined us to look ahead to that now good morning to you Michael always good to speak to you what do you make of

The the team for the third test it’s only just been announced in the last hour or so one chames mark wood in sha bashia out yeah I think it’s a sensible change I’ve just come back from the ground in rajot the pitch looks a little bit more

Evenly grasped than the first two games so they slightly changeed the balance of the side bringing in the extra SEMA um which I think is the right thing to do um it it makes England less vulnerable at the toss if the if the coin goes against them gives them a little bit

More Firepower in the attack they’ve still got plenty of spin options as well so I think it’s a better balance side for the conditions and Michael James Anderson found a bit of form didn’t he in that second test um he struggled a little bit last summer what is he five away from

700 test wickets I mean how impressed were you with what you saw last time out for England well he’s an incredible cricketer isn’t he as you say he had a difficult summer um and he’s 41 years of age now so he’s no spring chicken but he bowled brilliantly in that last test

Match at vishika patam you get you’ll have a little bit more support with Mark Wood here in this game wood himself played as the lone seamer in the first test match so I think it’s to the advantage of both of them that will’ll have each other to lean on and have a

Little bit more support in the seam department but Anderson bold excellently at viag no reason why he won’t do it here again in rajot but sadly there will be no Jack leech he’s ruled out for the whole series one how much of a blow is that and is it a foregone conclusion

That he would have played tomorrow well it’s certainly a blow for Jack Leach obviously and especially given the injuries and illness that he’s had over the last three or four years he’s missed a lot of test match matches when he came back in Hyderabad that was

On the back of an eight-month break from a stress fracture of the spine so um he’s not blessed with good luck as far as injuries and illness are concerned um so desperately unlucky for him but you know England are well covered they’ve got a lot of faith in in the young

Spinners that they’ve got here the one who is the left arm spinner so similar to Jack leech is Tom Harley and he’s had an excellent couple of test matches I think he’s the joint leading Wicket taker in the series at the moment or maybe second highest Wicket taker in the

Series but he got seven for on debut in the second Innings at Hyderabad um and he’s proved his worth with bat and ball at the moment so maybe they’ll not miss Jack leech as much as they might have feared at the start of the trip because he is by far the most experienced

Spinner that that they had in the squad the the second test Michael ended with that 1001 victory for India but it it kind of really didn’t feel that way does that demonstrate the belief in this England team right now and I guess you hope they can take that through to the third

Test yeah both games have been highly competitive I mean it was a stunning victory for England in Hyderabad the defeat in in viag you know the margin of it was reasonable 100 runs but as you say it for a lot of the game it didn’t quite feel like that it felt as though

England had a sniff even though they were a long way behind on first Innings that they bow brilliantly um to give themselves a chance on that fourth day I mean India with good value for it in the end the series is beautifully poised one a piece three to play for um here Ranchi

And daram charotte so yeah an absolutely intriguing Series so far um very hard to call which way it will go um but I think England will come off the break they’ve just had a week in Abu Dhabi and they’ll come off that feeling probably a little bit more confident or quietly confident

Than they would have done maybe at the start of the trip um with India so strong at home but you know India have shown some vulnerabilities in the test two test matches that we’ve seen so far you you mentioned how the pitch will affect the the bowlers and which is why

Mark Wood is is back in and but what about the Batters is this going to be a better surface for the Batters and if so does that actually favor England more than India well historically it’s been a better surface here I mean there’ve only been two test matches in rajot England

Played the first of them in 2016 but both tests have been quite high scoring I think there’ve been 900s uh over those two tests um four of England’s batters got hundreds in 2016 but that’s a long time ago pitches change and conditions can change but from what I saw today it looks a

Perfectly reasonable surface um and you know we’ll wait and see it’s not that hot at the moment you know India depending on the time of year that you come England were here before Christmas for the World Cup and it was much hotter and more humid um it’s slightly cooler now maybe that’s

Helping hold the pitches together a little bit more but you know who knows the five days is a long time Lots can change over a five-day game that’s the point of a test match but at the moment a day out it looks a pretty good surface

And just finding Michael a word on Ben Stokes it will be won’t it a very special day for him he becomes the 16th player to play 100 test matches for England we’ve been looking back at some incredible moments of drama and success and just sheer Brilliance um for you how

Does his England uh career stack up against some of those greats oh well he’s been an undeniably great cricketer for England no question about that um with bat and ball you can think of so many moments just looking at that catch there of Stuart broad at Trent Bridge which brought back some

Memories and that one which I was commentating on when he switch hit Nathan lion into the Western Terrace I I think that is the the Innings that every everybody will remember him for headingly in the ashes but there have been so many to choose from um and and

The the last part of his career or this phase of his career you know he’s being dominated by his captaincy and and I think he’s going to go down as a as a a great England captain from what he’s done with the team so far having turned

Around a team that you know had only won one in 17 to where they are now is an incredible turnaround with pretty much the same group of players or one or two different but not that many um so that’s just one more chapter that he’s in the

Middle of writing at the moment um and he’s got a bit To Go’s he’s doing a bit of bowling actually on this tour in in practice so he’s trying to get back to being the allrounder that he was because in the last year or so he’s been essentially playing as a captain with

The bowling not not part of his not part of his Armory but he’s trying to get back to that and if he can and just get a few more years out of him being an all round cricketer again that will help England’s balance of the side but he’s

Been a great cricketer um fantastic to watch and appreciate yeah thanks very much it is perfectly poised isn’t it for tomorrow and I’m sure every member of that England squad would love to do it for him wouldn’t they on the on his 100th test thanks for your time enjoy

The next few days I will do thanks