The recalled Jasprit Bumrah will be bowling immediately after England won the toss against India and chose to bat first in the third test at Lord’s on Thursday.
Bumrah’s return was signalled by India captain Shubman Gill after they won the second test at Birmingham by 336 runs last week and tied the series.
India’s premier fast bowler was rested because it didn’t think he would find as much traction on the flat track at Edgbaston than at Lord’s. India didn’t need him as it won at Edgbaston for the first time, a bonus considering Bumrah is available for only three tests in the five-match series to manage his workload.
In Leeds, he took 5-83 then no wickets in the second innings. He has replaced Prasidh Krishna in India’s only change.
England captain Ben Stokes has won the toss in every match so far but this time he chose to bat first.
The pitch has a green tinge but if there’s any moisture in it it won’t last long. The test will encompass England’s third heatwave of the summer and the pitch is expected to become a batting paradise after lunch.
England made only one change to the team that lost at Edgbaston. Fast bowler Jofra Archer returns for his first test since February 2021. Archer, beset by elbow and lower back injuries, will appear in his first test at home since August 2020, when the pandemic forced England to play in a bubble.
