(Cricket News) Jack Leach will be unavailable due to injury, confirmed skipper Ben Stokes on Wednesday, England has encountered a setback ahead of the second Test against India.

The 32-year-old, the most seasoned spinner in the England squad touring India, sustained a knee injury during the first Test on Sunday in Hyderabad, where England secured a surprising 28-run victory to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. Leach reportedly aggravated the injury during the morning session on the second day. Despite the setback, he bowled 10 overs in the second innings and crucially dismissed Shreyas Iyer for 13 runs.

Having skipped Wednesday’s training session, Leach’s participation in the second Test, scheduled in Visakhapatnam from February 2-6, is uncertain. Stokes stated at a press conference, “He’s ruled out of the second Test. Hopefully, it does not keep him out for longer in the series.”

With Leach sidelined, 20-year-old spinner Shoaib Bashir, Leach’s Somerset teammate, is now a potential replacement and may make his international debut. Bashir, initially unavailable for the opening Test due to a visa delay, has since resolved the issue. Stokes expressed confidence in Bashir’s abilities, stating, “Everything we wanted in our spin group was answered by Bashir.”

In the absence of both Bashir and Leach, debutant Tom Hartley took center stage in the first Test, delivering an impressive performance with figures of 7-62. His contribution played a crucial role in England’s remarkable turnaround as they restricted India to 202 runs after the hosts had initially reached 42-0. India had a 190-run lead in the first innings, scoring 436 in response to England’s 246.

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