Will Bumrah Shine as England Opts to Bat First Against India?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- England won the toss and will bat first.
- Jasprit Bumrah returns to the Indian squad.
- The series is tied at 1-1, making this match crucial.
- Ben Stokes leads England with confidence.
- Exciting match anticipated at Lord's.
London, July 10 (NationPress) Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer are set to take the field at Lord’s, as England won the toss and opted to bat first against India in the third match of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Test on Thursday.
The five-match series stands at a captivating 1-1, following England’s thrilling five-wicket triumph at Headingley, which was countered by India’s resounding 336-run victory at Edgbaston. This marks only the second instance since the beginning of the Stokes-McCullum era that England has chosen to bat first in Tests.
After a four-year hiatus from Test cricket due to back and elbow injuries, Archer is making his much-anticipated comeback to the longer format for England. 'The surface is typical, and with the sun shining, we decided to bat. The atmosphere is positive; we’ve had two hard-fought Tests so far,' he stated.
'We’re aiming to leave Lord's with a 2-1 lead. The players are fit, refreshed, and ready for action. Everyone enjoys playing at Lord's, and it’s important to soak in the experience. We’ve utilized the time between matches effectively,' commented England captain Ben Stokes.
For India, Bumrah re-enters the playing eleven in place of Prasidh Krishna, which means Kuldeep Yadav remains sidelined. Captain Shubman Gill admitted to feeling somewhat uncertain about the decision and suggested he would have likely chosen to bowl first.
'If there’s any assistance from the wicket, it will be evident in the initial days. The collective effort was commendable; that was our goal. The bowlers are brimming with confidence; taking all those wickets at Edgbaston wasn’t easy. There's immense satisfaction when hard work yields results,' he shared.
Playing XIs:
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, and Shoaib Bashir
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep, and Mohammed Siraj