IND vs ENG - Dream debut for Shoaib Bashir, gets the wicket of India captain Rohit Sharma

What a remarkable start for England's debutant, Shoaib Bashir, as he claimed the key wicket of India's captain, Rohit Sharma, in the 2nd Test at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. The 20-year-old will undoubtedly cherish this moment for a long time.

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In the 17.3 over, Bashir secured his debut wicket, and it was none other than the Indian skipper. Delivering a quick off-spinner, pitched outside off and spinning sharply, Rohit attempted to glance it away but was taken aback by the pace and degree of turn. He ended up edging it towards backward square, where Ollie Pope completed a smart catch. Rohit departed for 14 runs off 41 balls.

Who is England debutant Shoaib Bashir?

Shoaib Bashir was awarded his Test cap as he stepped in to replace the English side's most experienced spinner on tour - Jack Leach - who was sidelined due to injury. 

Standing at 6ft 4in, the spinner has only featured in six first-class games since signing for Somerset ahead of the 2023 season, with a record of 10 wickets at an average of 67.00. However, he caught the eye of Brendon McCullum during a Lions training camp in the UAE, where he took a six-wicket haul against Afghanistan A.

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Talking about the 2nd Test, while Bashir made his debut, the legendary pacer James Anderson also returned to the squad. It marked Anderson's 184th Test cap, and notably, his first of 2024. What's interesting to note is that neither Rehan Ahmed nor Bashir were even born when Anderson made his Test debut at Lord's in May 2003. Anderson's own Test cap number - 613 - stands a full 100 caps shy of the 713 cap No. that Bashir received before the start of play.

Teams:

India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Shreyas Iyer, Srikar Bharat(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mukesh Kumar

England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes(c), Ben Foakes(w), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir, James Anderson