England make four changes for second Test, with Moeen Ali replacing Dom Bess

Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer and James Anderson also miss out, with Moeen, Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, Olly Stone and Ben Foakes added to a 12-man squad

England have left out Dom Bess for the second Test against India in Chennai, with Moeen Ali replacing him in a 12-man squad.

The return of Moeen, who last played Test cricket at Edgbaston during the 2019 Ashes series, is one of four changes from the side that produced one of England’s great performances and comes at the expense of Bess, who took five wickets in a landmark first Test win – including that of Virat Kohli. He also added useful runs in both innings.

However, he struggled for consistency as the match wore on. It will be the first time he has been absent from an England Test line-up since Joe Root’s side opted not to field a spinner in Johannesburg last January.

Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer and James Anderson also miss out. Buttler has returned home for a rest period ahead of a busy year, as has been well documented, with Ben Foakes keeping wicket in his absence.

Good things come to those who wait, and this is Ben Foakes' turn

It was revealed yesterday that Archer would sit out through injury, having felt discomfort in his right arm during the first Test; he has received an injection, with medical staff hoping he will be fit for the third match in Ahmedabad.

Without Archer, it was speculated that England might reunite Anderson and Stuart Broad as their seam bowling unit; however, Root and Chris Silverwood have resisted that temptation to pick Anderson in back-to-back games, with Broad, Olly Stone and Chris Woakes instead fighting it out for two places as the tourists look to maintain their series lead.

Squad: Joe Root (c), Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Ben Foakes (wk), Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes

^{Photo credit: BCCI}

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