CHENNAI: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) clarified that wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow will join the squad only after the second Test against India and not after the first Test as was earlier stated by England batting coach Graham Thorpe.
"To clarify, the plan is still for Jonny Bairstow to return for the third and fourth Test and not the second Test. Along with Sam Curran and Mark Wood," said the ECB in its statement.
Thorpe, during an interaction with the media on Friday, said that Bairstow will be joining the team after the first Test.
England's decision to rest Bairstow for the first two Tests was criticised by a number of former players. He was England's second-highest run scorer behind captain Joe Root during their last series in Sri Lanka which they won 2-0. Bairstow had scored 139 runs across four innings in the two-Test series at an average of 46.33.
Bairstow, along with fast bowler Wood and all-rounder Curran, had been rested for the first two Tests as part of England's rotation system. IANS