Mumbai: England have recalled Jofra Archer, to the Lord’s Test and red-ball cricket after four-and-a-half years in the only change to their playing eleven after the Edgbaston loss.
Even India, who are usually cagey to share their team on match eve, have confirmed Jasprit Bumrah will return after a fortnight’s break.
That sets up what promises to be a mouthwatering showdown between the two premier fast bowlers on what is expected to be a spicier pitch than in the first two Tests. Given Archer’s truncated Test career, the two pacers have only faced off twice before, in spin-friendly Indian conditions.
When Rohit Sharma announced his Test retirement before the England tour, there were genuine concerns if it would be fair to task a young captain in his first series to go head-to-head against an ultra-aggressive skipper in Ben Stokes.
Call it the capricious nature of cricket, Shubman Gill has taken to the five-match series with relish, aggregating 585 runs in the first two Tests, and it is Stokes who is left to solve probing questions from the visitors. With no fifty to show in five Tests, Stokes’ batting form is also hurting their cause.
Even tactically, India have done exceedingly well in understanding the pattern of England’s play. They were on the mark all through the Edgbaston Test and for large parts at Leeds. But for India’s unforced errors in the opening Test and England’s trademark final innings run chase there, the tourists have fought tooth and nail.
England’s Project Bazball first took shape at Lord’s against New Zealand a little over three years ago. While their home record under Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum has been mostly impressive and their cricket largely entertaining, no team has troubled them more than India during their enterprising expedition. The 1-4 loss in India wasn’t entirely surprising, but being out-batted and out-bowled at Edgbaston forced McCullum to concede that they may have got it wrong after electing to bowl.
That’s no light concession. England’s very game plan is centred on the idea of chasing down any total. For that the pitches need to be batting-friendly, in fact become progressively better. Batting was relatively more difficult on Day 5, and Stokes said after the match that the pitch was more subcontinent-like. But the truth is the ball didn’t stay anywhere near as low or spin like in the subcontinent.
England could bat only 68.1 overs of the 108 they needed to for securing a draw, giving a measure of the unidimensional nature of their batting. Taking a win virtually out of the equation before England’s second innings began was by itself a mini victory for India. Akash Deep’s skilful spells helped them level the series in the end.
In the list of most balls faced in the series, England have a few of their batters – Jamie Smith (413), Harry Brook (378) and Ben Duckett (284). But all of them have batted on a high tempo, leaving their bowlers little time to rest and recover. It’s one reason England have brought Archer back, replacing Josh Tongue.
England’s Catch-22
Both teams have been left complaining about the Dukes ball losing shape early. To make life easier for their comeback pacer and possibly overworked Brydon Carse and Chris Woakes, the pitch could have more life. England’s problem is when the difficulty quotient for batting goes up against opposing bowlers that are equals, it could become counter-productive to their approach. It was at Lord’s that the Bazballers were given a rude shock in 2022 by South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada, who took advantage of a spicy pitch. When Pakistan dished out turners at home, English batters succumbed to spinners Noman Ali and Sajid Khan.
India will have fewer problems if asked to play on a surface with more zip. In Akash Deep, India now know they have an ideal new ball bowler to complement Bumrah. Mohammed Siraj has bowled many overs, but is in good rhythm and can bowl long spells.
Bumrah’s presence in the field should also come in handy for Deep to negotiate the complexities of the sloping venue and pitch.
India would want to make provision for the law of averages catching up with Gill. Other than Bumrah replacing Prasidh Krishna, vice-captain Rishabh Pant said they were contemplating whether to play three pacers and one spinner or two. It suggested that an extra batter could come in for Washington Sundar. If the extra life in the pitch is to go by, India may decide to retain batting depth.
“When you see the pitch, it can change colour in two days, moisture may become less. We have to take a call, how the wicket will play,” Pant told reporters.
“It’s a short turnaround. When you have the momentum, you want a short turnaround.”