India vs England 2nd Test: England spinner Jack Leach has been ruled out of their second Test match against England due to a knee injury he sustained during the series opener in Hyderabad.

India and England will face off in the 2nd Test match at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Friday, February 2.

The visitors are already 1-0 up in the five-match series, having defeated the Rohit Sharma-led Indian team by 28 runs in the first Test.

 

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Notably, Leach suffered a knee complaint while fielding on the opening day but managed to play out the game and bowl 10 overs as well in the second innings.

The visitors were hopeful for his recovery and availability for the second game but skipper Ben Stokes revealed the 32-year-old would be forced to sit on the sidelines.

 

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"He's ruled out of the second Test," Stokes said of Leach.

"Unfortunately, the knock he took resulted in a haematoma in his leg. It's a big shame for us, a big shame for Jack, obviously after a long time out of the game with his back.

"To sustain that injury, first game back, obviously it's frustrating. But it's something we're assessing every day. The medical team have taken over that, and hopefully, it's not something that's too serious and keeps him out for longer in the series."

England haven't named their playing XI yet but young uncapped off-spinner Shoaib Bashir remains in contention to replace Leach if they would be looking to add another spinner.

They also have the veteran James Anderson as an option who could be included as per conditions but Stokes indicated that he would until Thursday before deciding the lineup.

Stokes was confident of Bashir to shine on his debut if he was selected to partner Rehan Ahmed and Tom Hartley in the second Test.

"If he was to play on this tour, then the great thing he has on his side is, what is there to lose?" Stokes said.

"That is how I will be thinking about it, if he gets the chance to play: just to make sure I can give him the best experience I possibly can. Because you only play your first Test match once. If he does play, then I will be trying to make it as enjoyable and fun for him as I can.

"Myself, Baz (coach Brendon McCullum), and Popey (vice-captain Ollie Pope) will probably have a longer think about it. We looked at the wicket; I gave it a tap, and a play-around to make it look like I knew what I was doing. Bash is in the squad, we haven't brought him here to have an experience. If we feel we want to turn to him, we will."