Jonny Bairstow and Mark Wood join England squad ahead of third Test 

Wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow and paceman Mark Wood joined the England squad on Wednesday ahead of the third Test against India.

Having been rested for the first two Tests in Chennai, Jonny Bairstow and Mark Wood were named in the 17-man squad for the third Test, a pink-ball encounter which will begin in Ahmedabad on February 24th.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed:

"The pair have rejoined the England men's cricket team after time at home. They also attended their first training session after coming out of quarantine.”

England Cricket posted a picture of the two cricketers on Twitter with the caption:

“Welcome back, lads!”

While Jonny Bairstow and Mark Wood have joined the England squad, all-rounder Moeen Ali has been rested for the last two Tests, despite picking up eight wickets and smashing 43 from 18 in the second innings of the second Test.

India squared the four-match series with a 317-run triumph in the second Test in Chennai, having lost the first match by 227 runs.

Welcome back, lads! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏏 pic.twitter.com/7l5rWMH6nt

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) February 17, 2021

Jonny Bairstow and Mark Wood were rested as part of England’s rotation policy

Jonny Bairstow and Mark Wood were not picked for the first two Tests against India as part of England’s rotation policy. Jos Buttler also returned to England after the first Test and has been replaced by Ben Foakes, who did an exceptional job behind the stumps in the second Test in Chennai.

England coach Chris Silverwood defended England’s rotation policy amid criticism from some former players like Kevin Pietersen and Michael Vaughan.

“People do need to see their families, we are trying to make life for our players as comfortable as possible. We just need to make it work, people need to spend some time with their families," said Silverwood at a press conference on Wednesday.

"We prioritise Tests and T20s equally. The T20 World Cup is here in India, but we need to make sure that everyone stays in top form. In order to do that, we need to rotate players and look after them. I can guarantee you we are not prioritising anything above Test cricket," added Silverwood.

⏳🔜 Pink-ball Test in Ahmedabad pic.twitter.com/bDDeh8m7F5

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) February 17, 2021

England squad for 3rd Test: Joe Root (c), James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Dominic Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.