India vs England: 3 major talking points ahead of Lord's Test
Will Archer help England back into the lead?
While England are still favourites to win this series according to the best betting sites, there were plenty of reasons for criticism, especially the way their batting order crumbled at Edgbaston, where we saw six batters dismissed for ducks, while Ben Stokes’ bowling attack did very little to help matters and were far from the level produced by India’s pair with the new ball.
In fact, on a pitch that favoured pace, it was English spinner Shoaib Bashir who finished with the best figures, claiming five scalps in the match, though he did ship almost 300 runs. However, the Three Lions now have renewed hope heading to Lord’s, thanks to the return of Jofra Archer.
Archer last represented his nation in the longest format of the game four years ago, as injuries have caused the fast bowler one setback after another. He was slated to feature in match two but was forced to return home ahead of the fixture due to a family emergency.
Indeed, there are a few concerns around whether the 30-year-old has had enough preparation, having only played one Test for Sussex in the lead-up. However, if he is fully fit, Archer will give the Three Lions some much-needed firepower with the ball, especially against India’s top order, which ran riot last week.
Can India’s captain continue his blistering form?
The start of the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy marked the beginning of a new era for Indian Test cricket - one that is now led by Shubman Gill following Rohit Sharma’s retirement, and the newly appointed skipper is certainly making an incredible start to his new role.
Gill has been utterly sensational in this series, having already scored a stunning 585 runs in four innings. At Edgbaston, the 25-year-old smashed 269 and 161 in his first and second innings, becoming the first batsman in Test cricket to record scores of 250 and 150 in the same game.
Heading to Lords, Gill will now be aiming to become only the 11th Indian batter to get his name on the prestigious honours board, and if he does so, he will be only the first Indian captain to score a ton at the Home of Cricket since Mohammad Azharuddin in 1990.
Who gets the axe for Bumrah’s return?
Earlier this week, Gill confirmed that Jasprit Bumrah will feature at Lord’s in the third match, and while few can argue with the world’s best fast bowler returning for an iconic matchup, there are concerns over who will be forced to miss out.
Akash Deep was brought in to replace Bumrah at Edgbaston, and he produced the best bowling performance of his career, becoming only the second Indian to take 10 wickets against England. As a result, leaving him out would be pure lunacy, while Mohammad Siraj has been the epitome of consistency in this series.
Therefore, it seems Bumrah’s return likely spells the end for Prasidh Krishna, who struggled to find the type of form in the last match as he showed during the IPL. There is also a case to be made for Washington Sundar to drop out, though that is expected only to happen if he is to be replaced by a seam-bowling all-rounder like Shardul Thakur.
