England vs India Archives

Stuart Broad backs THIS Bowler to replace Jofra Archer in The Oval Test

Former England fast bowler Stuart Broad believes Jofra Archer should be rested for the fifth and final Test against India, starting July 31 at The Oval, and has backed Gus Atkinson to take his place.

Archer made a highly anticipated return to Test cricket earlier this series after a four-year absence caused by recurring elbow and back injuries.

The speedster marked his comeback in style during the third Test at Lord’s, taking match figures of 5-105 and playing a key role in England’s dramatic win.

His spell included early damage with the new ball and crucial wickets in the second innings, notably Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, and Washington Sundar.

Determined to help England clinch the series, Jofra Archer pushed through for the fourth Test in Manchester, claiming four wickets for 151 runs.

However, he looked visibly uncomfortable, especially during India’s mammoth second innings where they batted out a draw at 425/4.

With Archer clearly struggling physically, Stuart Broad has urged the team management to avoid risking a long-term injury.

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“We can’t not have Jofra Archer for four years, bring him back and then bowl him into the ground and not see him for another four years,” Broad said.

Broad has called for Gus Atkinson to be given a shot, noting that the young quick hasn’t yet been tested against a top-quality Test opponent.

“I think Gus Atkinson has to play. I know he has not had any workload, but we need to see him. He hasn’t been really challenged against top-level opposition in Test cricket yet,” he said.

Broad also pointed out that Brydon Carse looked “knackered” during the fourth Test and could use a breather, while Josh Tongue, who featured earlier in the series, could be a like-for-like replacement if England opt to rest Jofra Archer.

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Rishabh Pant’s replacement named for fifth England Test

MANCHESTER: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has named uncapped wicketkeeper Narayan Jagadeesan as the replacement for the injured Rishabh Pant ahead of the fifth Test against England, which is scheduled to be played at The Oval.

The 29-year-old wicket-keeper from Tamil Nadu has received his first call-up to the Indian team and is expected to join the squad in London by Tuesday after obtaining his visa on Sunday morning.

He will serve as a backup to Dhruv Jurel, who has kept wickets in the last two Test matches against England in Pant’s absence.

For the unversed, Rishabh Pant fractured his right foot while batting on the first day of the recently concluded fourth Test at Old Trafford.

Earlier in the series, he also struggled with a finger injury during the third Test, but he continued to bat despite these ongoing issues.

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Pant’s injury turned out to be a fortunate opportunity for Jagadeesan, who has consistently performed well in domestic cricket and has long caught the attention of national selectors.

He topped the run charts for Tamil Nadu in consecutive Ranji Trophy seasons, scoring 816 runs at an average of 74.18 in 2023-24, followed by 674 runs at an average of 56.16 in 2024-25.

Since making his first-class debut in 2016, Jagadeesan has accumulated a total of 3,373 runs in 79 innings at an average of 47.50.

His impressive record includes 10 centuries and 14 half-centuries, with a career-best score of 321 against Chandigarh in January 2024.

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England’s Zak Crawley ‘owes’ himself more good performances

England opener Zak Crawley said, “I owe it to myself to have a few more good performances” following his sparkling 84 in the fourth Test against India at Old Trafford.

Crawley has long been a polarising figure in English cricket, given his modest average of 31.40 from 58 Tests, including a mere five hundreds, a poor return from a specialist batter.

But, significantly, England captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum have never lost faith in the 27-year-old, despite all Crawley’s critics, including former skipper Michael Vaughan, believing he is failing to do his talent justice.

And the Kent right-hander repaid some of the England management’s confidence with 84 on Thursday at a ground where he made a stunning 189 during the 2023 Ashes.

Crawley and opening partner Ben Duckett, who also missed out on a hundred on Thursday when falling for 94, launched England’s reply to India’s first-innings 358 with a swashbuckling stand of 166 in 32 overs.

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England ended the second day on 225-2, a deficit of 133 runs.

“I always want more from myself and I’ve certainly wanted more for myself than I’ve got in the last year or so,” said Zak Crawley, whose elegant style has often, if perhaps unfairly, led to accusations of a cavalier attitude.

“I just feel like I owe it to myself to have a few more good performances. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten out in my life and not been annoyed, and I was certainly annoyed (after getting out on Thursday).”

Crawley and left-hander Duckett, also unable to reach three figures Thursday when falling for 94, delighted the Manchester crowd just a week after being caught up in a time-wasting row in the third Test at Lord’s.

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Rishabh Pant set to miss remainder of England Test series

India’s vice-captain and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has been ruled out of the ongoing fourth Test against England at Old Trafford as well as the fifth and final Test at The Oval after scans confirmed a fracture in his right foot.

Pant, who was batting fluently on 37, sustained the injury while attempting a reverse sweep against England all-rounder Chris Woakes on Day 1.

He immediately looked in discomfort and was forced to retire hurt before being taken off the field on a golf cart.

Medical scans later revealed a metatarsal fracture, with the initial recovery window estimated between six to eight weeks.

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This marks the second injury scare for the 26-year-old in the last two matches. In the previous Test at Lord’s, Pant had also injured his left index finger while keeping wickets.

Dhruv Jurel, who replaced him behind the stumps then, is once again expected to take over the gloves for the remainder of the series.

While Rishabh Pant will not resume wicketkeeping duties in Manchester, the final call on whether he will bat in the second innings will rest with the team management and the BCCI’s medical team.

India currently trail the five-match series 2-1. The fourth Test in Manchester runs until July 27, while the fifth Test at The Oval begins on July 31.

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Ben Stokes reignites over-rate row after England penalty

Ben Stokes has again criticised over-rate rules after England were docked two World Test Championship (WTC) points following last week’s win against India.

England won a thrilling encounter at Lord’s by 22 runs to go 2-1 up in the five-match series. But there was widespread criticism of time-wasting from both sides, which led to several delays in play and slow over-rates.

England were ruled to be the main offenders, and the points deduction means they slipped from second to third in the WTC standings for the 2025-2027 cycle.

They were docked a costly 22 points in the previous cycle.

Exasperated England skipper Ben Stokes on Tuesday renewed his call for the International Cricket Council (ICC) to change its rules.

“Over rate isn’t something I worry about, but that’s not saying I purposely slow things down,” he told reporters on the eve of the fourth Test at Old Trafford.

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“I do understand the frustration around it, but I honestly think there needs to be a real hard look at how it’s structured.

“You can’t have the same rules in Asia, where spin is bowling 70 percent of the overs, (as) in New Zealand, Australia, England, where it’s going to be 70, 80 percent of seam bowled.”

Nine teams contest the WTC and each nation plays six other sides, three home and three away, over the course of a two-year period.

Teams are ranked by percentage of points won because they play a different number of matches within those six series.

The top two teams compete in the WTC final, with the next three showpiece matches all scheduled to be held in England.

The most recent final took place last month, when South Africa were crowned champions for the first time after defeating holders Australia at Lord’s.

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Ricky Ponting backs Shubman Gill’s aggression amid Lord’s spat

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has thrown his weight behind Indian Test skipper Shubman Gill following his on-field altercation with England’s openers during the third Test at Lord’s.

England edged out India by 22 runs in a gripping contest to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

But it was Gill’s animated exchange with Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett towards the end of Day 3 that dominated headlines.

With six minutes left in the day and both teams tied at 387 in the first innings, Gill was keen to sneak in two overs.

However, the English openers were in no hurry to face the new ball, sparking a heated argument between the Indian skipper and the opening batters.

Speaking on The ICC Review, Ricky Ponting admitted he was surprised by Gill’s visible aggression.

“That was a little out of character from what I’ve known from Shubman in the past,” Ponting told host Sanjana Ganesan.

“I am sure everyone who was there watching it, and I know you would know him quite well, that’s not what he’s generally like.”

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However, Ponting said the incident reflected a young captain stepping up and setting the tone for how he wants his side to play.

“That’s the captain standing up for his team,” he said.

“That’s a captain really wanting to show that it’s his team now and this is the way that we’re going to play the game, and also, I guess, wanting to give a little bit back.”

Drawing a comparison with India’s former leaders, Ricky Ponting said Gill’s approach seemed more in line with Virat Kohli’s intensity than Rohit Sharma’s calm leadership style.

“I think that’s him starting to put his stamp on his team. And a lot like Virat [Kohli] did, in similar ways,” he further stated.

“Rohit [Sharma] probably was never as outwardly aggressive, I guess, especially to opposition players.

“I know he (Rohit) would quite often get aggressive with his teammates and try to bring the best out of them that way. But I love watching Shubman [Gill] stand up for what he thought was right in the game last week.”

India now trails 2-1 in the series against England as they head into the fourth Test at Old Trafford, Manchester, starting on July 23.

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India suffer double injury blow ahead of fourth England Test

Team India have been dealt a double blow ahead of the fourth Test against England, as all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy has been ruled out of the remainder of the series, while left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh is unavailable for the upcoming match.

The The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed that 22-year-old Reddy, who suffered a knee injury, will return home for further medical evaluation and treatment

The young all-rounder featured in the playing XI for the second and third Tests at Edgbaston and Lord’s.

Meanwhile, Arshdeep sustained a thumb injury while bowling in the nets during a training session in Beckenham. His condition is being monitored by the BCCI medical team.

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The BCCI has drafted pacer Anshul Kamboj, who recently impressed on the India A tour of England, into the senior squad in Manchester as cover.

India are trailing 2-1 in the five-match series after a 22-run defeat at Lord’s last week.

Chasing 193, the visitors were bowled out for 170 despite a gritty half-century from Ravindra Jadeja.

The fourth Test between India and England is set to kick off on July 23 at Old Trafford, Manchester.

India’s updated squad for the fourth Test: Shubman Gill (Captain), Rishabh Pant (Vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Kuldeep Yadav, Anshul Kamboj.

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England likely to recall THESE two pacers after heavy defeat against India

Fast bowlers Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson could be recalled for next week’s third Test against India at Lord’s after England captain Ben Stokes admitted his attack had failed to “blast them open” at Edgbaston.

India levelled the five-match series at 1-1 with a crushing 336-run win in the second Test on Sunday’s fifth day.

And within hours of the thumping loss, England added Surrey quick Atkinson to their squad for the Lord’s Test.

Atkinson is fit again after suffering hamstring trouble against Zimbabwe in May and could join forces for the first time with Archer, who trained with England in Birmingham ahead of what promises to be the express quick’s first Test following four years of injury-induced exile.

Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue could be the two bowlers to make way after plenty of overs against an India side who’ve scored nearly 1,900 runs, including five individual hundreds, in the opening two games of this series.

Stokes, as he’d done during England’s five-wicket win in the first Test at Headingley, sent India in to bat at Edgbaston.

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But having seen India reduced to 211-5, the England captain became increasingly helpless in the field as the tourists piled up 567, with opposing captain Shubman Gill making an outstanding 269.

“At 200-5, we were happy, but we just weren’t able to blast them open,” said Stokes after England were dismissed for 271 on the final day. “They ended up getting a big first innings total after us having a good start.”

“It’s no secret that we have spent some time in the field and bowled some overs in the first two games, so we’ll have to see how everyone pulls up over the next two days. With it being a quick turnaround, there probably will be a decision we have to make.”

England bowlers, meanwhile, now have the tough task of stemming new India captain Shubman Gill’s extraordinary run spree.

Not content with his first-innings effort, Gill made 161 second time around at Edgbaston as he became the first batsman in 148 years of Test history to score a double century and a 150 in the same match.

The 25-year-old Gill, who marked his first Test as skipper with a century at Headingley, has now scored 585 runs in the series at a colossal average of 146.5.

England squad for Lord’s Test against India

Ben Stokes (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes.

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Jofra Archer named in England squad for second Test against India

Fast bowler Jofra Archer has been named in the England squad for the upcoming second Test of the five-match series against India, scheduled to be played at Edgbaston from 2 July.

This decision comes after England’s five-wicket victory against India in the first Test at Headingley earlier this week.

Archer, who has been out of the Test team since the 2021 tour of India, recently made his return to red-ball cricket, playing for Sussex against Durham in the last round of the County Championship.

After the 2021 tour of India, he faced an elbow issue and later suffered a stress fracture in his back, resulting in him playing only seven limited-overs internationals between March 2021 and May 2024.

“It felt all right today,” Archer said after his return to red-ball cricket. “I’ve been playing for a year, and bowling for two years, including the build-up, so everything is fine.”

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“Now it’s a different challenge, because I know my body can hold up to it. The mental part of the game [will be tough].

“Over the next couple of days, I’m going to have to battle a bit with it, but it’s all good. It’s a new challenge, and I’ll keep trucking along.”

It’s worth mentioning that after the second Test, the two teams will travel to London for the third match of the series, which is scheduled at the iconic Lord’s from 10 to 14 July.

Following that, the fourth Test will commence at Old Trafford on 23 July. The series will conclude with the fifth Test at The Oval, scheduled from 31 July to 4 August.

England squad for the second Test against India

Ben Stokes (capt), Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes

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Rishabh Pant joins unwanted club after twin centuries in Headingley Test

India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant etched his name into the record books with twin centuries in the Headingley Test against England, but his outstanding effort wasn’t enough to save his side from the defeat.

Pant, who was in sublime touch throughout the match, scored 134 off 178 deliveries in the first innings, hitting 12 fours and six sixes.

He followed it up with another masterclass in the second innings, a 118-run knock off 140 balls, laced with 15 boundaries and three maximums.

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Despite his brilliance, India suffered a comprehensive five-wicket defeat, making Rishabh Pant part of an unfortunate record in Test cricket.

With this feat, the left-hander became just the fourth Indian, and 12th overall, to score centuries in both innings of a Test that ended in defeat.

He now joins an elite but ill-fated group that includes Vijay Hazare (1948 vs Australia), Sunil Gavaskar (1978 vs Pakistan), and Virat Kohli (2014 vs Australia).

Here’s the complete list of players with twin centuries in a losing cause:

George Headley (v England, 1939)
Vijay Hazare (v Australia, 1948)
Clyde Walcott (v Australia, 1955)
Sunil Gavaskar (v Pakistan, 1978)
Andy Flower (v South Africa, 2001)
Brian Lara (v Sri Lanka, 2001)
Andrew Strauss (v India, 2008)
Hashim Amla (v India, 2010)
Virat Kohli (v Australia, 2014)
Brendan Taylor (v Bangladesh, 2018)
Rishabh Pant (v England, 2025)

For the unversed, India set England a challenging target of 371 runs, which the hosts successfully chased down in the final session, losing five wickets in the process.

Star batter Joe Root remained not out at 53 runs, while Jamie Smith contributed an unbeaten 44 runs.

However, it was Ben Duckett who played a crucial role in England’s triumphant chase, scoring 149 runs off 170 balls, including 22 boundaries and one six.

This victory marked the second-highest run chase at Headingley, surpassing the previous record of 362 for 2 set against Australia during the 2019 Ashes.

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