England are sweating over the fitness of spinner Shoaib Bashir as the third Test against India sits on a knife-edge. Following three days of gripping action, the third Test will be decided by a one-inning shoot-off after both teams made an identical 387 in the first essay.
Bashir was hit on his little finger on the left hand on Day 3 of the Lord's Test. The incident took place in the 78th over of India's first innings when Bashir was hit on his finger by Ravindra Jadeja's forceful drive off Bashir's own bowling.
The spinner immediately signalled to the dressing room, pointing out that he had been injured. Joe Root completed his remaining delivery of the over. While England were hopeful of Bashir bowling in the evening, he sat out and did not take the field.
While he missed on further action on Day 3, the spinner did bowl on a practice strip on the fourth morning with his fourth and fifth fingers strapped. The England and Wales Cricket Board have dropped an update on Bashir's fitness.
"Following his left little finger injury, Shoaib Bashir continues to be monitored and is expected to bowl in the fourth innings of this Test. A decision on whether he will bat in the third innings will be made in due course. His involvement in the fourth Test at Emirates Old Trafford will be assessed at the end of the match," the ECB said in a statement.
Bashir bowled 14.5 overs in the innings and took the crucial wicket of KL Rahul in the second session. He nicked Rahul to slips just an over after the Indian star had got to his century off 176 balls.
Rahul has become the first Asian opener to hit two centuries at Lord's, with his 129 at the venue in 2021 being the previous ton. This was also the first time that Rahul had hit more than two centuries in a Test series. His hundred and fifties from Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja led the visitors to match the hosts' first innings score of 387.
