IND vs ENG: England Probable 11 For 3rd Test At Lord’s - MAJOR Shakeup Expected!

When news emerged that Jasprit Bumrah will not be playing the second Test at Edgbaston, team India were written off completely, with pretty much everyone expecting England to maul them and go 2-0 up. However, in a twist that no one saw coming, it was India who ended up obliterating the hosts, hammering them by 336 runs on the back of an extraordinary performance.

Thanks to that, the series is now level at 1-1 heading into the third Test at Lord’s, which will start from July 10 (Thursday).

Now, we know Bumrah will return for India, but what about England’s starting XI?

England Likely Changes: Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson to return

Some baffling batting cost England the second Test, but their bowlers were toothless. Astonishingly, India scored 1,014 runs at Edgbaston while losing only 16 wickets in total. And many of those wickets also were due to the visitors looking for quick runs. 

So it goes without saying that there will be a major shakeup in England’s bowling. What will those changes be?

Well, expect Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson (who was added to the squad yesterday) to come straight into the starting XI. These two will not only give England pace, but also pose new challenges to the Indian batters, who have honestly made light work of an attack of Chris Woakes, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir and Brydon Carse.

So, who will make way for these two? Well, expect Tongue and Bashir to be dropped from the XI. Woakes averages 12.90 with the ball at Lord’s, so there is no way he gets left out. He also had decent spells with the new ball at Edgbaston, so that’s there too. 

Bashir has been a passenger in this side and Lord’s is a sort of a graveyard for spinners as well, so it’s likely that England will go in with four pacers. Dropping Bashir for Archer or Atkinson will also bolster the side’s batting big time.

On the other hand, don’t expect any changes on the batting front. Maybe after Lord’s, but not certainly before the third Test.

England Probable 11 for Lord’s Test

Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (capt), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer