Ind vs Eng: Mark Wood returns as England name playing XI for Rajkot Test vs India

England have announced their playing XI for the third Test versus India which gets underway in Rajkot on Thursday (Feb 15). Mark Wood has been recalled in the playing XI whereas Shoaib Bashir has been left out. Wood was part of England's 28-run win in the first Test in Hyderabad, however, England went ahead with James Anderson as the only pacer in the second Test in Visakhapatnam, which the visitors lost by 106 runs. For the third Test, England will field two seamers in Wood and Anderson whereas their spin department will comprise Tom Hartley, Rehan Ahmed and Joe Root.

England captain Ben Stokes will also be playing his 100th Test when his side takes on Rohit Sharma-led India in the Rajkot Test. Thus, he will be eager to make a mark with his all-round skills and captaincy decisions. The visitors have backed their batting unit -- with Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley being their top performers so far -- but will need more from the likes of Stokes, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow. On the other hand, all eyes will be on their spin trio of Hartley (who accounted for 7 for 62 in the final innings in Hyderabad), Rehan Ahmed (who recently dealt with visa issues while re-entering India) and Root.

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England have opted for two pacers in Wood and Anderson and, thus, India can expect a barrage of bouncers. The two speedsters will look to make the most of the new ball and also make use of anyreserve swing on offer.

England Men's XI

1. Zak Crawley
2. Ben Duckett
3. Ollie Pope
4. Joe Root
5. Jonny Bairstow
6. Ben Stokes (C)
7. Ben Foakes
8. Rehan Ahmed
9. Tom Hartley
10. Mark Wood
11. James Anderson

The five-match Test series is currently levelat 1-1 and the last three Tests are expected to go down to the wire. It will be interesting to see India's playing XI, which is expected to be out only after the toss on Day 1 of the third Test on Thursday morning.