In the blue corner, after a one-Test absence, stands Jasprit Bumrah, chomping at the bit. In the red corner, for the first time in four years, looms the towering figure of Jofra Archer, desperate to reacquaint himself with the red-ball format. It’s a fascinating backdrop against which to kick off the third act of a compelling series at an iconic venue which is the stage for several of Indian cricket’s greatest triumphs.
The Lord’s of today doesn’t bear too much resemblance to the ground where Kapil Dev’s intrepid band turned the world order upside down on June 25, 1983 with their epochal conquest of mighty West Indies in the final of the last 60-over World Cup. There is a massive influx of the modern that has overrun the venue, but the old players’ balconies remain untouched. Maybe anywhere else, it might have appeared incongruous and out of place, but here, it seems perfectly natural for the old-world and the new-age to rub shoulders.
Jofra Archer during England’s practice session at Lord’s yesterday
Honours Board in sight
Within the confines of the building that houses the dressing rooms and the Long Room populated by members of the Marylebone Cricket Club lie the Honours Boards that contain the names of every player to have scored a century or taken a five-wicket haul in Lord’s Tests. From this Indian party, only KL Rahul enjoys that privilege — selection panel chairman Ajit Agarkar, on tour, keeps the opener company with his stirring hundred in 2002. Plenty within the Indian set-up will be queuing up to get on one of those boards, primary among them Bumrah.
The fallacy that India’s bowling is a skewed, one-man attack was comprehensively laid to rest last week in Birmingham when Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep combined for 17 wickets in the 336-run victory. Bumrah’s return, at the expense of Prasidh Krishna, will lend greater teeth to the Indian attack, just as Archer’s will buoy England, whose lack of firepower stood badly exposed with Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue being subjected to hours of toil at Edgbaston.
Bowlers hold the edge
Given their propensity for consistently good batting tracks, England didn’t enjoy the Birmingham surface which deteriorated as the match went deep. A call has since gone out for a track with more pace and life at Lord’s, where traditionally there has been plenty for the quicks on the first couple of days. Twenty-eight wickets fell on the first two days of the World Test Championship final last month before South Africa made the most of improved batting conditions to pull away to a five-wicket win despite being set 282 by Australia. Ben Stokes is convinced this surface will not deviate massively from that prototype, which therefore lends a new dimension to first-innings bowling — and, by extension, batting.
That’s why the influences of Bumrah and Archer will become more pronounced. India’s top order has been more prolific and assured, England’s staccato and prone to errors. Bumrah will seek to exploit the latter, Archer will attempt to reverse the former. All set up nicely to match the temperatures that are predicted to soar into the early 30s.
29
No. of wickets claimed by Jasprit Bumrah in his last five Tests
2021
The year Jofra Archer last played a Test. He took 1-24 against India in Ahmedabad
