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England Test coach Brendon McCullum has disclosed that Shoaib Bashir is included in his plans for the second Test match against India, set to commence on February 2. McCullum also suggested the possibility of fielding an all-spin attack for the Vizag Test to safeguard their 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
England kicked off their tour of India with a hard-fought 28-run victory at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. However, Bashir, a British citizen of Pakistani descent, faced visa issues and couldn't join the team in time for the first Test.
Fortunately, the visa issues for the promising young spinner have been resolved, and he has arrived in India ahead of the second Test in Vizag.
Speaking to SENRadio, McCullum expressed confidence in Bashir's ability to seamlessly integrate into the team and highlighted how his skills could prove beneficial in Indian conditions. The 20-year-old spinner made a strong impression for England Lions during their training camp in November and earned a spot in the five-match Test series in India.
"Bashir was with us in our camp in Abu Dhabi. He fitted seamlessly into the group. He impressed with his skillset. He is a guy who has immense amount of enthusiasm, albeit at a pretty young age and pretty limited in his first-class experience. Again, like Tom Hartley, he is someone whom we looked at and thought his skillsets could assist us in conditions in India," said McCullum.
Discussing Bashir's visa complications, McCullum acknowledged that such issues are not uncommon, mentioning that Bashir received a warm welcome from the team upon his arrival in India. Bashir, whose visa was delayed, returned to the UK from Dubai to complete additional paperwork, resulting in his absence from the Hyderabad Test.
"The visa thing, sometimes these things can happen. Everyone was doing everything to ensure that he turned out at the perfect time. When he arrived, he got a standing ovation and he got to witness something special, watched our spinners bowl us to a fantastic win," McCullum added.
The 42-year-old further suggested that Bashir could contribute significantly if the team chooses to employ an all-spin or even a three-spinner strategy, similar to what they utilised in Hyderabad. The off-spinner has taken 10 wickets in six first-class matches during his career.
"He comes into the calculations for the next Test match. If the wickets continue to spin as much as what we saw in the first Test, as the series goes on, we won't be afraid to play all spinners or the combination that we played with in Hyderabad. He is a great kid. He has got an infectious personality," said McCullum.
Young spinner Bashir might be poised to debut for England as they face India at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Vizag on February 2.
(Powered by AI, Inputs by India Today)
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