Image source- Lord’s Cricket Ground
The third test match between India and England begins at the historic Lord’s Cricket Ground in London today. The 5-test Anderson-Tendulkar trophy is tied at 1-1, with England winning the first and India winning the second encounter. The series is evenly poised, and it will be interesting to see the approach of both teams.
Bumrah Is Back
Image source- NDTV
Bumrah is confirmed to play the third test and will replace Prasidh. Bumrah has been the spearhead of the Indian bowling attack for years, and along with the in-form Akash Deep, who claimed a match-winning 10 wickets in the second test.
Jofra Archer Making A Comeback After Four Years
Jofra Archer is replacing Josh Tongue for the third test. The right-hand fast bowler has always performed well at the Lord’s. Archer has 42 test wickets to his credit in 13 appearances. He could change the game for England, as he is used to the slope at Lord’s.
Batting Of Both Teams
The Indian batting lineup appears to be stronger on paper, with both captain Gill and vice captain Pant looking in great touch in both tests. Jaiswal and K.L. Rahul have scored centuries, and even Jadeja scored useful runs in the second test.
England’s openers need to do well to put the Indians’ in-form pace attack under pressure. Opener Zak Craw failed in both innings of the second test match, and Captain Ben Stokes is still not sparkling with the bat. Joe Root and Ben Duckett have shone with the bat.
Pitch
Skipper Ben Stokes was criticised for the pitch, which was like one in the subcontinent at Edgbaston. This time, they will surely go for a pitch that will support fast bowlers. There are some images of the pitch on social media platforms that show some light grass on the pitch, which will favour the pacers. Chasing is not easy at Lord’s, and so the team batting first will be at an advantage.
England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (w), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir.
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (w), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
