England's Playing XI Adjustments: Spin Sacrifice as One Change for 3rd Test Against India

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On Wednesday, the England Cricket Board (ECB) announced the playing eleven for the third Test against India in Rajkot, replacing Shoaib Bashir with pacer Mark Wood. Skipper Ben Stokes is set to mark his 100th Test appearance. The series is tied 1-1, with India winning the second Test in Visakhapatnam after a 28-run loss in the first Hyderabad Test.

In the second Test, brilliant spells from Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin helped India level the series. England, starting the day at 194/6, faced a setback as skipper Stokes fell for 11, and Shreyas Iyer's excellent effort furthered England's crisis. Bumrah cleaned up Hartley for 36, and England were bowled out for 292, losing by 106 runs.

The third Test is scheduled for February 15 in Rajkot, followed by the fourth Test in Ranchi on February 23 and the fifth Test in Dharamsala from March 7.

England's Playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (C), Ben Foakes, Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, James Anderson.