India Faces England in Tense 3rd Test at Lord’s

Lord's, England — The third Test match between India and England began on Thursday at the historic Lord’s Cricket Ground, with England captain Ben Stokes winning the toss and opting to bat first. The match is part of a five-match series currently tied at 1-1.

Both teams came into this Test with a strong desire to perform. India recently achieved a commanding 1-1 equalizer by winning the second Test at Edgbaston, where Shubman Gill scored remarkable innings of 269 and 161.

Stokes, pleased with his team’s readiness, stated, “We are going to have a bat. The surface has something here early on.” He added that the series has been well-fought and expressed confidence, saying, “We are fresh and ready to go.”

In contrast, Indian captain Shubman Gill expressed initial hesitation about the toss decision, indicating, “I would have bowled first. There would be something for the bowlers in the first session.” Gill confirmed one change to the lineup, bringing back Jasprit Bumrah to replace Prasidh Krishna.

Historically, Lord’s has been a challenging ground for India, with only three wins in 19 Tests against England. The visitors will aim for a positive outcome, buoyed by their recent successes and Bumrah’s return.

The playing XI for India includes Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (w), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj. England’s lineup features Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (w), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, and Shoaib Bashir.

As the tension mounts in this crucial Test, fans eagerly await the action from both teams, particularly focusing on Bumrah’s performance as he returns to Test cricket.