• Source:JND

England vs India Test: England have suffered a huge setback despite their famous win at Lord's as their star spinner Shoaib Bashir has been ruled out of the remainder of the Test series against India.

Bashir, who took the final wicket to give England a thrilling 22-run win in the third Test on Monday, sustained a fracture to a finger in his left hand. He is set to undergo surgery for the same later this week. The right-arm spinner took a blow on his finger on Day 3 of the third Test while attempting a caught-and-bowled chance off Ravindra Jadeja in the 78th over of India's first innings.

He subsequently left the field and did not return for the remainder of the innings. However, he came out to bat for England in their second innings and scored just two runs. He remained off the field for much of the fifth day before he was called upon to bowl late during the decisive hours, with India's lower-order frustrating England.

Eventually, it was Bashir who put the final nail in the coffin with Mohammad Siraj's wicket for 4 runs, to hand England a thrilling victory. Bashir has played all the first three Tests against India so far and remains England's third-highest wicket-taker with 10 scalps to his name at an average of 54.1 in the series. 

While England went 2-1 up in the series, skipper Ben Stokes was adjudged as the Player of the Match for the Lord's Test. Stokes scalped five wickets in the match, including three in India's second innings, and scored 44 and 33 in the two innings and ran Rishabh Pant out with a direct hit to be named player of the match after the 22-run win at the Lord's.

Chasing 193, India folded at 170 as Ravindra Jadeja's (61 not out) herculean effort went in vain.

Bashir has emerged as England's frontline spinner over the past couple of years, having been preferred over fellow Somerset teammate Jack Leach. Apart from Leach, England have Rehan Ahmed, Liam Dawson and Tom Hartley as the options to bring in as Bashir's replacement for the remaining two matches. The fourth Test between India and England will be played at Old Trafford in Manchester from July 23 to 27 before the series concludes with the final match at The Oval, which is scheduled to begin on July 31.