Following a four-and-a-half-year absence, Jofra Archer has been brought back to the England team for red-ball cricket and the Lord's Test as the sole alteration to the starting lineup after the defeat at Edgbaston. Jasprit Bumrah will make a comeback after a two-week vacation, according to India, who are often reluctant to divulge their lineup the day before a game.

This establishes what is expected to be a delicious battle between the two top quick bowlers on a surface that is likely to be more spice than in the first two games. The two pacers have only previously faced off twice in spin-friendly Indian conditions, considering Archer's brief Test career.

Prior to the England tour, when Rohit Sharma declared his retirement from Test cricket, there was legitimate worry about whether it would be fair to assign a young captain in his first series to go head-to-head against an ultra-aggressive skipper in Ben Stokes.

Shubman Gill has embraced the five-match series with gusto, scoring 585 runs in the first two Tests, and Stokes is left to respond to challenging queries from the visitors, all of which are due to the unpredictable character of cricket. Stokes' batting performance is also hurting their cause because he has failed to reach 50 in any of the five Tests.

India has been very successful, even tactically, in figuring out the pattern of England's game. For the most of the Leeds Test and throughout the Edgbaston Test, they were right on target. However, the tourists have battled fiercely, with the exception of England's signature last innings run chase and India's unforced mistakes in the first Test.

A little over three years ago, England's Project Bazball began to take form during a game against New Zealand at Lord's. No side has caused them more problems during their adventurous journey than India, despite their generally excellent home record and exciting cricket under Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum. Although the 1-4 defeat in India was not unexpected, McCullum was compelled to admit that their decision to bowl may have been a mistake after being out-batted and out-bowled at Edgbaston.

That's not a little concession. The strategy used by England is based on the concept of pursuing every total. The pitches must be favorable for hitting in order for this to occur, and in fact, they must get better over time. The pitch was more subcontinent-like, according to Stokes, and hitting was comparatively harder on Day 5. However, the reality is that the ball didn't remain nearly as low or spin as it did in the subcontinent.

England's unidimensional batting was evident in the fact that they were only able to hit 68.1 overs of the 108 necessary to tie the game. India scored a small victory in and of itself by effectively eliminating the possibility of a victory before England's second innings even started. They were able to tie the series at the conclusion thanks to Akash Deep's brilliant bowling.

The list of the most balls faced in the series includes a number of England's batsmen, including Jamie Smith (413), Harry Brook (378), and Ben Duckett (284). However, they have all batted at a high tempo, giving their bowlers little opportunity to relax and recoup. One of the reasons England has replaced Josh Tongue with Archer is because of this.

England's Catch-22

The Dukes ball's early loss of form has caused both sides to gripe. The pitch may have more life to make things simpler for their returning pacer and maybe overworked Brydon Carse and Chris Woakes. When facing equal opposition bowlers, England's problem is that a higher level of batting complexity may work against their strategy. In 2022, the Bazballers were caught off guard at Lord's when Kagiso Rabada of South Africa exploited a scorching pitch. English batters were defeated by spinners Noman Ali and Sajid Khan when Pakistan delivered turners at home.

India will have less difficulties if asked to play on a surface with greater zip. India now knows that Akash Deep is the perfect new ball bowler to support Bumrah. Despite having bowled a lot of overs, Mohammed Siraj is in a good rhythm and is capable of bowling long stretches.

Additionally, Bumrah's presence on the pitch ought to assist Deep in navigating the difficulties presented by the pitch's slope and the venue's intricacy.

India would like to ensure that the law of averages eventually catches up with Gill. Aside from Bumrah taking Prasidh Krishna's place, vice-captain Rishabh Pant stated that they were considering between using three pacers and one spinner or two pacers and two spinners. It proposed that Washington Sundar might be replaced by an additional batsman. India might decide to prioritize batting depth if the extra life in the pitch is any indication.

“The pitch might change color in two days if you look at it, and the amount of moisture could decrease. We must answer, how the wicket will play, Pant stated to reporters.

"There's not much time to turn around." When you're on a roll, you want a quick turnaround.

Read Also: Archer Boost Sparks England Confidence at Lord’s

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