Changes In England Playing XI For 3rd Test: After losing the first Test in Leeds, India made an outstanding comeback in the second Test of the five-match series against England, recording their first-ever Test match win at Edgbaston. That is despite the bowling attack getting weakened in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah.
England were outplayed in all departments by India in the second Test and eventually lost by a huge margin of 336 runs. Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes will go back to the drawing board to figure out what they lacked not just in the second Test but also in the first Test: plenty of wickets with the new ball.
With there being only a three-day gap between the second and third Tests of the India vs England series, England, who suffered a huge defeat, are expected to make some changes to their side, in particular to their bowling department.
India vs England: 3 Possible Changes In England Playing XI For 3rd Test At Lord’s
Jofra Archer In, Brydon Carse Out
Jofra Archer last played a Test match in February 2021, against India in Ahmedabad. Due to multiple elbow and back injuries, he’s been out of the Test squad for a long time.
He was added to the squad for the second Test but didn’t play. He is all but certain to make his Test comeback against India at Lord’s.
McCullum said of Archer, “He’ll certainly be available for selection. Our seamers have gone two Tests on the spin and we’ve got a short turnaround before we head down to HQ. We’ll let the dust settle on this one, but Jofra is looking fit, he’s looking strong, he’s looking ready to go, and he’ll come into calculations. It’s hugely exciting.”
Brydon Carse, who shared the new ball with Chris Woakes in both Tests, is likely to make way for Archer for the India vs England 3rd Test.
Gus Atkinson In, Shoaib Bashir Out
Off-spinner Shoaib Bashir has eight wickets to show in the two Tests, but those have come at an average of 59.5, and his economy has been close to four runs per over. That means he’s neither taken wickets in clusters nor managed to control the run flow.
India, in particular Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill, have taken a proper toll of Bashir, who clearly is still a work in progress and not yet a match-winning bowler.
England have included speedster Gus Atkinson in their squad for the third Test at Lord’s, having missed the first two Tests due to a hamstring injury. Atkinson has taken 55 wickets in 12 Tests at an average of 22 and also scored 352 runs at 23.
At Lord’s, Atkinson has claimed 19 wickets in two Tests and also hit a century. England won’t mind going in with four pacers at Lord’s, and Bashir’s role could be passed onto Joe Root and part-timer Harry Brook.
Also Read: India vs England Lord’s Test pitch report
Jamie Overton In, Chris Woakes Out
Chris Woakes has nowhere been as effective in the first two Tests as he generally is in English conditions. Because of little help from the pitch and conditions, Woakes hasn’t been able to produce the kind of swing movement he’s renowned for, and hence has managed to take only three wickets in two Tests at an average of 96.
He could very well be replaced by Jamie Overton, a seam-bowling all-rounder, in the third India vs England Test. Unlike Woakes, whose predominant skill is to swing the ball, Overton bends his back and hits the deck hard. With the bat, too, he can prove to be useful lower down the order. He did score 97 on his Test debut against New Zealand three years ago.
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