Archer, Atkinson, Bumrah, and Arshdeep: Key Players for the 3rd Test at Lord's

Table of Contents

England lost their last match against India by a huge 336-run margin, and that at their home ground, which surely makes them look for some changes in the squad, especially in the bowling unit, as most of the bowlers went 4+ economy.

From the Indian side, everything was great except for a few player performances, including Prasidh Krishna, who once again was expensive in the first innings of the match, and the flop show of Karun Nair and Nitish Kumar Reddy.

England’s Struggling Bowling Attack: Economy Rate Tells the Truth

Josh Tongue Expensive Spell vs India

So many people criticized Prashid Krishna about his economy and poor bowling performance, but let’s look at the three England bowlers who have taken a lot of hits from the past two test matches.

England’s bowling performance in the second Test raised serious questions. Not only did they struggle to take wickets regularly, but their economy rates were also concerning:

Bowler	Overs	Runs Conceded	Wickets	Economy Rate
Josh Tongue	81	370	11	4.57
Brydon Carse	77	315	6	4.09
Shoaib Bashir	120	476	8	3.97

The English bowlers allowed India to score freely in both innings. Lack of pressure and poor line-and-length allowed India’s middle order to escape tough situations. This led Brendon McCullum and the selectors to rethink their strategy.

Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson Return for England In the 3rd Test At Lord’s Cricket Ground, London

To address the bowling issues, Jofra Archer is set to make his Test comeback after three years. England coach Brendon McCullum confirmed that Archer is fit and ready, stating that the pacer is “buzzing to get back into the Test side.”

Archers played just one match at Lords against the Australian side and took five wickets in two innings, making him lethal.

Alongside Archer, Gus Atkinson has also been added to the squad. He is recovering well from a hamstring injury and is expected to strengthen England’s pace battery. With Josh Tongue and Brydon Carse going for plenty, these two inclusions could offer much-needed control and aggression.

Atkinson is likely to cause trouble for India, having taken 19 wickets in just four innings with a strike rate of 15.9. Also note that he also averages 44 in three innings at Lord’s, which clearly makes him one of the best picks.

Why Arshdeep Singh Should Replace Prasidh Krishna

Prasidh Krishna has been one of the most expensive bowlers in India’s pace attack. In the second Test, he conceded 72 runs in just 13 overs, with an economy rate of 5.53. In red-ball cricket, such numbers are damaging.

On the other hand, Arshdeep Singh offers:

A left-arm angle that brings variety
Ability to swing the ball in English conditions
More control, especially with the new ball
Strong domestic red-ball form

Jasprit Bumrah In the 3rd Test Match At Lord’s Cricket Stadium

Jasprit Bumrah In the 3rd India vs England

Jasprit Bumrah In the 3rd Test Match At Lord’s Cricket Stadium

Bumrah played one match at lord’s Cricket Ground in which he took three wickets but was very economical. He is expected to bring an extra boost to the playing XI for India and also help them maintain a low economy rate, which was one of the major issues in the last match.

Another discussion about the playing XI will be whether they should keep Washington Sundar in the XI or give Kuldeep Yadav a chance. Nitish Kumar Reddy is surely going to be out of the team after scoring just one run in the last match.

Karun Nair or Abhimanyu Easwaran In The 3rd Test Match?

Because India won the second test match, it can be a blessing for Karun Nair to give him the last chance of his cricketing career because in four innings, he scored just 77 with an average of 19.2 only.

Easwaran averages 36.27 in 11 innings against the England Lions, and he can be a great, well-deserved pick for the Indian team at number three in the third test match at Lord’s.