Bumrah, Archer return as series heads to decisive Lord’s Test

The five-Test series between India and England is delicately balanced at 1-1, but the potentially series-defining third match, starting Thursday at the iconic Lord’s brings with it an added layer of intrigue with the return of two of modern cricket’s most lethal fast bowlers — Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer.

For India, boosted by the series-levelling 336-run victory in the second Test in Birmingham, have fond memories at the Home of Cricket from their previous tour in 2021, and will be eager to recreate the magic. Bumrah, who was rested for the second Test to manage his workload, is expected to slot back into the playing XI, replacing Prasidh Krishna.

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The world No.1-ranked quick, who was instrumental in guiding India to the 151-run victory at the same venue four years ago, looked in his rhythm during the optional training session on Tuesday, bowling for close to an hour without a break. Bumrah tested the patience and the skills of Karun Nair, B Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran and Dhruv Jurel as he worked his way back towards playing his second Test at Lord’s, a venue of which he has fond memories.

England, too, have a reason to smile. Jofra Archer, sidelined for four years from Test cricket due to injury setbacks, is back in the Lord’s XI. His inclusion at the cost of Josh Tongue, the highest wicket-taker with 11 scalps in the ongoing series, adds firepower to an English attack that has struggled to contain India’s in-form batters. Having regained fitness and rhythm, the 29-year-old Archer’s return on a surface that may offer more for the seamers than Edgbaston, will be crucial to the home side’s fortunes.

The surface at Lord’s traditionally offers more seam movement than the flat tracks seen so far. Add to that the challenge of the famous Lord’s slope, could suit both returning pacers. Bumrah, with his skiddy angles and Archer with his ability to generate steep bounce, could have a significant say in the outcome of the match. The forecast for this Test is fair with temperatures in the early 30s (Celsius). On Tuesday the pitch wore a greenish tinge, and India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak expected it to be “challenging”.

Heading into the match, India have the momentum firmly in their corner. Criticised for resting Bumrah, Shubman Gill’s young side silenced everyone at Edgbaston, scripting their first-ever Test victory at the venue. Gill himself led from the front with a record 430 runs in the match, while Bumrah’s replacement Akash Deep stunned England with a 10-wicket match haul.

In their first series after the Test retirements of batting stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the new-look Indian side outplayed England in most sessions across the first two Tests. Karun Nair’s form may be a minor concern, but with Gill, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal all firing, India’s batting unit looks settled and confident.

The bowling department, too, looks sharp. Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj and Bumrah form a lethal trio capable of exploiting the conditions. Siraj’s eight-wicket haul at Lord’s in 2021 remains fresh in memory, and Bumrah’s return adds the experience and class England will find hard to counter. Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar add variety with their spin and lower-order batting abilities.

Meanwhile, for the home side, the patchy batting form of opener Zak Crawley and former skipper Joe Root could be a cause of concern, while skipper Ben Stokes, who has impressed with the ball, is yet to find fluency with the bat. England will expect the top order batters to quickly regroup and find a counter to India’s pace trio in seaming conditions.

Squads:

India: Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (vc & wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.

England: Ben Stokes (captain), Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir.