Alastair Cook is backing Gus Atkinson selection for England against India in fourth Test in Ranchi - 'He could do well'

Former England captain Alastair Cook has called on James Anderson and Mark Wood to be rested in favour of Ollie Robinson and Gus Atkinson, ahead of the fourth Test in Ranchi - shown live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

Cook highlighted the importance of rotating England’s bowling attack, leaving the aforementioned duo fresh for the fifth and final Test in Dharamsala.

“I think James Anderson and Mark Wood will be very effective in the cooler conditions of Dharamsala, so I'm taking them out of the attack as they've bowled a lot of overs in a short period,” said the TNT Sports expert.

“The two people I'm bringing in are Ollie Robinson and Gus Atkinson - we haven't seen Gus in a Test match before, but everyone I’ve spoken to about him thinks he could do well.

“We've seen a lot of Ollie Robinson, who has great skill and great control. He'll give the control that Anderson gives, whereas Atkinson gives that freshness. Both will be raring to go.”

Cook also moved Jonny Bairstow "out of the firing line" in his selections for the fourth Test, and explained his reasons behind including Dan Lawrence in the team.

“I'm taking him [Bairstow] out of the firing line to protect the player, as I think he's had a tough tour so far and India is a tough place to keep going on the treadmill.

“I'm not saying he'll never play Test cricket again, but it’s good to have someone who's fresh of all the debris of this series so far.

“When you're not scoring runs, there's a build-up of pressure and momentum from certain bowlers on you, so I’d let Dan Lawrence have a go.”

In light of Cook's comments, Ben Stokes has not ruled out a bowling stint in this Test series against India amid calls to rest James Anderson and Mark Wood.

Anderson and Wood both bowled a huge share of overs in Rajkot and the England captain was quizzed by Graeme Swann about the prospect of joining the bowling attack, after being seen practising during the lunch breaks of the third Test.

“I feel good; I managed to get my first bowl out at 100% on day one or day two here,” he told TNT Sports.

“Me as a person, I like to jump the gun a bit too much, but things are feeling really good. I've got to get my whole body used to bowling, so I'm not saying 'no', but not 'yes' either.”

Stokes looked in more detailed at where the third Test started to unravel, as England collapsed from 207-2 to 319 all out on day three, before the tide turned dramatically in favour of India.

“You look at the situation we found ourselves in (207-2) going into day three, we really needed to push the button after the lunch break,” Stokes admitted.

“They got some quick wickets so we had to absolve the pressure that India were throwing at us, but me personally, I sensed there was an opportunity after lunch for us to have one of my days out we'll call it.

“I've got an unbelievable belief in myself that I can do that, just like I have an unbelievable belief in every player there that they can turn in the game in our favour.

“We'll be doing everything in the next game and the game after that to give ourselves the best chance of going home as a series winners.”

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