Guess Who’s Back? Jofra in Red Ball

09 July, 2025: 

Ahead of the third Test match of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Lord’s, Team England announced their playing XI, where they made one change. Jofra Archer, right-arm fast bowler, replaced Josh Tongue, right-arm fast-medium pace bowler, in the match starting from Thursday.

After four years, Jofra is set to play because he has been unable to participate in the longest format of the game due to a number of injuries and he will get his 14th Test cap. In spite of these challenges, the 30-year-old boasts a remarkable performance, having taken 42 wickets in 13 Test matches with an average of 31. 04 and three five-wicket hauls. 

On Jafra Archer’s comeback, Ben Stokes said, “Really exciting. I think it's great for English fans but also for Jof. It's been a long time coming for him.” Further, “He’s gonna be proud of himself that he made it back to the team.”

England playing XI: ⁠⁠Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, ⁠Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (C), Jamie Smith (WK), ⁠Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir.

On Tuesday, various social media accounts posted the initial appearance of Lord’s pitch, which showed that after the flat tracks in the first two games at Headingley and Edgbaston, Lord's is anticipated to have a green top. It is thought that England had explicitly asked for a green pitch, which would have favored their quick bowlers. Therefore, it will be essential to work out the new ball. 

On the other side, in India’s playing XI, it is expected that the inclusion of the current world’s Test no.1 bowler, Jasprit Bumrah. Also the significant question still exists regarding the selection of left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav. He has not yet played in the current tour, but he may be an effective choice for taking wickets.