Sundar or Reddy: Whom will Bumrah replace in India XI for 3rd Test vs ENG?
India bounced back strongly in the second Test, levelling the series after England had drawn first blood in Leeds with a 5-wicket victory. Now, heading into the third Test at Lord's, often referred to as the Mecca of Cricket, team balance and pitch conditions will play a crucial role in shaping the final XI.
Lord's pitch may prompt a pace-bowling All-rounder inclusion
Recent behaviour of the Lord's pitch gives India some food for thought. While traditionally known to assist fast bowlers, especially early on, the pitch tends to flatten out and become more favourable for batting as the match progresses.
In fact, in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final last month, South Africa chased down 282 against Australia in three sessions on the final day, highlighting how conditions ease up for batters later.
This observation can lead to the Indian think tank considering replacing off-spinning all-rounder Washington Sundar with seam-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur in the next tie. Sundar contributed with both bat and ball in the previous Test, scoring 42 runs and taking the important wicket of Ben Stokes, but may lose his spot purely due to the dynamics of the pitch.
Nitish Kumar Reddy's place also under scrutiny?
Another player who may find himself on the bench is youngster Nitish Kumar Reddy. While the Andhra Pradesh all-rounder offers energy and versatility, he hasn't had many impactful moments with either bat or ball in the series so far, scoring just 1 run in 2 innings and bowling just 6 overs in the entirety of the Test. If India decide to go with Shardul to lengthen the pace attack without sacrificing batting depth, Nitish could be the one to miss out, depending on the team composition strategy.
India's top order has been in stellar form. Shubman Gill leads the run tally with 585 runs, including three centuries. Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, and Yashasvi Jaiswal have also been consistent, with each of them scoring over 200 runs in just two matches. With the top and middle order performing well, India can afford to tweak their all-rounder combination to suit conditions. England too had a decent run with the bat as both sides came together to produce the highest match aggregate in a Test match at Edgbaston, an impressive 1692 runs scored in the 2nd Test featuring 4 centurions in the match as well.
Highest match aggregates in Test cricket
Team 1 Team 2 Team runs Team wickets Overs RR Ground Match Date
South Africa England 1981 35 680.7x8 2.18 Durban 03/03/39
West Indies England 1815 34 613.5 2.95 Kingston 03/04/30
Pakistan England 1768 37 388.5 4.54 Rawalpindi 01/12/22
Australia West Indies 1764 39 413.2x8 3.2 Adelaide 24/01/69
Australia England 1753 40 532.2 3.29 Adelaide 14/01/21
Australia India 1747 25 442.4 3.94 Sydney 02/01/04
England Australia 1723 31 549.4 3.13 Leeds 22/07/48
Pakistan India 1702 28 426.4 3.98 Faisalabad 21/01/06
England India 1692 36 391.4 4.32 Birmingham 02/07/25
England New Zealand 1675 35 408.3 4.1 Nottingham 10/06/22
Highest match aggregate in Tests at Lord's As far as the Mecca of cricket, Lord's is concerned, the venue has witnessed some brilliant games and has a similar kind of record when match aggregates in Test cricket is talked about.
Highest match aggregates in Tests at Lord's
Team 1 Team 2 Team runs Team wickets Overs RR Ground Match Date
England New Zealand 1610 40 428.4 3.75 Lord's 21/05/15
England India 1603 28 392.3 4.08 Lord's 26/07/90
England Australia 1601 29 505.4 3.16 Lord's 27/06/30
England West Indies 1576 35 394.3 3.99 Lord's 22/07/04
England Sri Lanka 1496 36 428.1 3.49 Lord's 12/06/14
England Pakistan 1483 31 435.5 3.4 Lord's 13/07/06
England New Zealand 1445 33 435.2 3.31 Lord's 20/05/04
England Sri Lanka 1427 30 365.4 3.9 Lord's 03/06/11
England India 1406 36 398.3 3.52 Lord's 25/07/02
England Sri Lanka 1401 24 446.1 3.14 Lord's 16/05/02
England Australia 1368 37 526.2 2.59 Lord's 25/06/53
England West Indies 1363 23 347 3.92 Lord's 17/05/07
England Australia 1362 34 379.3 3.58 Lord's 24/06/38
England Australia 1357 36 343 3.95 Lord's 16/07/09
England Australia 1348 30 422 3.19 Lord's 31/07/75
England Australia 1347 40 360.2 3.73 Lord's 28/06/23
England Bangladesh 1332 32 363.3 3.66 Lord's 27/05/10
England West Indies 1314 36 522.3 2.51 Lord's 26/06/69
England New Zealand 1293 34 421.1 3.07 Lord's 27/06/31
Likely changes in bowling line-up
Captain Gill has confirmed that Jasprit Bumrah will return for the Lord's Test, likely replacing Prasidh Krishna, who had an underwhelming outing at Edgbaston with figures of 1 for 111. Bumrah will join Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep in the pace unit, with Shardul possibly becoming the fifth seamer if selected.
Probable playing 11 for India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy/Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep.
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