England‘s bowling unit has come under heavy scrutiny after the Edgbaston Test. Notwithstanding a flat pitch that was on offer, England‘s bowling was not upto the mark and ineffective as well. They conceded 587 and 427/6 respectively and India got these scores without really breaking a sweat. The combination of Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse and Joshua Tongue hasn’t worked for England in Edgbaston.
In the aftermath of the defeat, England have added Gus Atkinson in the squad while Jofra Archer who was already in the squad for the second Test is set to make his comeback in Tests after 2021. Archer will definitely play at Lord’s as he is ready to go and considering Atkinson’s record at Lord’s and in England he might play as well.
England are mulling at possible two changes to the bowling line-up with Carse and Tongue making way for Archer and Atkinson. We expect Woakes to play as he has a great record at Lord’s. Batting does not require tinkering barring last minute injuries. Ollie Pope should keep his place ahead of Jacob Bethell.
Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson: The X-Factor England Requires Desperately.
England lacked the X-Factor in Edgbaston with the bowling unit as a whole conceding 1,000 runs and picking 16 wickets. There were jaded legs and bodies with Carse battling an injury as well. We expect England to rejig the bowling and bringing in Archer and Atkinson could well be the step in the right action.
Archer has not played Test Cricket for England since 2021 but he brings a certain X-Factor to the team. He has good speed and lethal bouncers that can test the Indian batters. He also has a great record against India’s captain Shubman Gill in the shorter formats. He can hurry the batters.
Who will forget Jofra Archer bursting onto the scene at Lord’s in 2019 and hitting Steve Smith on the helmet and Marnus Labuschagne as well. With him coming back into the side is just what England will need in order to beef up their bowling stocks and intimidate India.
Gus Atkinson has had a stellar start to his Test career as he has played most of his games in England. He played last summer against West Indies and Sri Lanka and then played 3 Tests in New Zealand before playing the one-off Test against Zimbabwe in Nottingham in May 2025 before a hamstring injury ruled him out of the first two Tests against India.
Atkinson is ideal for English conditions and bowls good lines and lengths. He bowls wicket to wicket and can be a handful for the Indians at Lord’s should he play this game. He also had a good match at Lord’s last summer.
We know for sure Archer will come into the side and so one of Carse or Tongue will make way for him. But Atkinson can also play and is a high probability. If that’s the case then both Carse and Tongue will make way for them. We expect Woakes to play but in case he has a niggle then Sam Cook can come into the mix. Plenty to think about for England.
Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson Test Stats so far.
Both Archer and Atkinson have played less Test matches so far. The sample size is small but is impressive and has the potential. Archer played his last Test in 2021 in pre Bazball era and will be hungry to do well in the Lord’s Test starting in a few days. So far, Archer has played 13 Tests in which he has picked up 42 wickets at an average of 31 and economy of 2.99. These are impressive stats and he will want to make a mark on his return to Test cricket.
Gus Atkinson was playing regular cricket for England but got injured just before this series against India started and as a result missed the first two Test matches. Atkinson has had a great start to his Test career. He might have struggled so far in white-ball cricket, but his numbers in Tests and in England are fantastic.
Atkinson made his Test debut last summer of 2024 and has played 12 Test matches so far. He has already picked up 55 wickets at an impressive average of 22.3 and economy of 3.74. Atkinson would like to comeback and replicate his old form against India. Although, it won’t be easy as he is coming back from an injury.
England are likely to take this gamble of playing both Archer and Atkinson and it is worth taking it with the series all square at 1-1 and beautifully set up for the remaining three Test matches.
What Lies Ahead
England and India are set to clash at the Home of Cricket at Lord’s from Thursday July 13th onwards. The series is nicely poised at 1-1 with three matches remaining in the series. It will be intriguing and interesting to see the playing XIS of both teams come Lord’s.
England are likely to make changes to their bowling unit while India will bring back their speedster Jasprit Bumrah back in the XI. Any other changes from India’s side can be found out at toss time.
Which team will gain the upper hand and get the lead in the series going into Manchester for the fourth Test? Only time will tell as both teams are more or less evenly-matched at this stage with similar strengths and weaknesses. The series has been exciting and promises to be that in the remainder of the series.
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