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    England has confirmed that no replacement will be called up for Leach
England has confirmed that no replacement will be called up for Leach
Jack Leach via ​​wisden.com

England has confirmed that no replacement will be called up for Leach

He has been ruled out of the rest of the Test series in India.

​​Jack Leach will miss the remainder of England's Test series against India due to a knee injury. The left-arm spinner sustained the injury while fielding on the first day of the first Test in Hyderabad when he dived to stop a boundary and collided with the ground. Unfortunately, he aggravated the injury on the second morning.

Despite the extent of swelling in the 32-year-old's knee, he managed to dismiss Shreyas Iyer, helping England secure a 28-run victory. In the first innings, Leach bowled 26 overs but was limited to a maximum of four-over spells for the remainder of the Test, sending down only 10 overs in the second.

However, due to his condition not improving, he was subsequently ruled out of the second Test in Visakhapatnam, which India won to square the series. Leach's recovery time was initially expected to be aided by the 10-day break in the series. However, his availability for the third Test in Rajkot remained uncertain.

Leach has been undergoing further assessment in Abu Dhabi, where the England squad have been based during this period. He has made the confident decision to return home for further treatment and will miss the final three Tests.

The ECB released a statement saying that Leach will fly home from Abu Dhabi in the next 24 hours, where the England team has been staying ahead of the third Test in Rajkot, which starts on Thursday.

Leach will work closely with the England and Somerset medical teams in respect of his rehabilitation.

England has confirmed that they will not be calling up a replacement for Leach, who has been Ben Stokes' primary spinner throughout his tenure. This decision shows the team's confidence in their current squad and their ability to perform at the highest level. This news is another blow for a popular member of the dressing room, who had only just returned from a stress fracture of the back that ruled him out of last summer's Ashes.

England's spin options are limited to the young trio of Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir. Bashir made his debut in the second Test as a replacement for Leach, his Somerset team-mate. Joe Root is the team's sole allrounder.

Leach's absence requires England to change their approach for the next Test, which begins on Thursday. To partner with James Anderson, the tourists will confidently choose between Mark Wood or Ollie Robinson based on the surface assessment by Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum.

Following their return to India on Monday, the squad will have their first training session on Tuesday at the Niranjan Shah Stadium.

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