"Insane and unreal" - Fans on X in awe as England pick 41-year-old James Anderson for 2nd Test

Pacer James Anderson's inclusion in England's playing 11 for the second Test against India set social media abuzz on Thursday. The 41-year-old has replaced Mark Wood, who went wicketless in the first Test in Hyderabad.

Anderson will become the fourth-oldest cricketer to play a Test in India. England have also added another player to the XI, with spinner Shoaib Bashir set to make his debut in place of the injured Jack Leach. Interestingly, Bashir was born on October 13, 2003, almost five months after Anderson made his Test debut against Zimbabwe.

Check out the top reactions to Anderson's return here:

Anderson will be the lead seamer alongside four spinners, and skipper Ben Stokes might bowl as well. Although England won by 28 runs in Hyderabad, they may have realized that leaving the veteran out was a mistake.

Wood lacked the consistency required in India and couldn't find as much swing with the new ball as his Indian counterparts. He wasn't entirely effective when the ball started to reverse either, which is part of Anderson's mastery of the format.

Some of the young audience might perceive Anderson as a bowler whose skillset is only suited to English conditions but he averages a brilliant 29.32 in India, having picked up 34 wickets in 13 Tests. The last time he played in Vizag, he picked up four wickets for 95 runs, although that came in a heavy defeat.

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"You need a little control" - Aakash Chopra batted for James Anderson's inclusion

Earlier in the day, former India opener Aakash Chopra had asked for the pacer's inclusion to help England infuse some control into the bowling lineup.

"I still feel they should play James Anderson for sure because you need a little control and none of their spinners has the ability to provide control on a good surface. In such a case, James Anderson can give you a five-over spell and then a four-over spell and concede only eight or nine runs," he said.

India will also make at least a couple of changes to the XI, with KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja injured.