Cricket news: England vs India – Gus Atkinson returns for third Test as hosts seek redemption at Lord’s
England pacer Gus Atkinson is the latest addition to the 16-man squad for the hosts ahead of the third Test against India at Lord’s.
After suffering a devastating defeat at the hands of the tourists in Edgbaston, Brendon McCullum’s side will be hoping to bounce back at the home of cricket in this five-match series.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Bilal Patel highlights all the details ahead of the third Test in the capital.
Match preview
Shubman Gill’s side will be high on confidence after finally winning a Test in Birmingham by dominating England over five days and winning by 336 runs.
India’s captain continued to lead from the front, scoring a double century followed by a century in his two innings.
The 25-year-old is in red-hot form and will look to continue to score big as he has already amassed 585 runs in the four times he has come out to bat in the series so far.
The visitors looked to rectify most of the key issues from the disappointing first Test loss even without the experienced Jasprit Bumrah, who was rested for Edgbaston to manage his workload.
Pacers Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep stepped up to the mark against a timid English line-up, whilst India batted England out of the game in both innings.
Ben Stokes will know his side were humbled and with the series level at 1-1, all eyes will be on England’s response as the action shifts south to the iconic Lord’s cricket ground.
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Team news
The hosts add Atkinson to their ranks as the fast bowler returns to the squad for the first time since featuring against Zimbabwe in May.
England stuck with the same line-up for consecutive Tests but will likely make some changes given that there is a quick turnaround before the next Test.
Jofra Archer, who was included in the squad for the recent Test but not selected, could make his return to international red-ball cricket for the first time since February 2021 as the home side look to alter their pace attack.
There are also questions around the effectiveness of spinner Shoaib Bashir who, in spite of picking up eight wickets in the series so far, has a bowling average of 59.50, which is an indicator of his inability to fully keep control of things.
There is the option of replacing him with all-rounder Jacob Bethell who provides an extra option with the bat and can bowl left-arm off-spin.
The inclusion of Bethell would also provide some stability to the batting order who found the going tough in the last match.
Predicted England XI for third Test: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Jacob Bethell, Chris Woakes, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson.
For India, they are expected to welcome back Bumrah for the crucial game in London, rounding out a pace attack that shined last time out.
With Siraj and Deep the stars of the show, it could leave no room in the side for Prasidh Krishna who has been inconsistent so far.
Elsewhere, Nitish Reddy’s performance was probably the only negative for the visitors in the second Test as he scored just two runs and did not offer much with ball in hand.
He could well keep his spot ahead of Shardul Thakur and be trusted to showcase his all-round abilities.
India’s batting has been their greatest strength so far but the only Indian batter in the top seven to play both Tests and not score a 50 is Karun Nair.
With a high-score of just 31 across four innings, his spot could be under threat, but the selectors may stick with the 33 year-old ahead of the young Sai Sudharsan who was dropped after the first Test.
Predicted India XI for third Test: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
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Pitch report
It is expected to be extremely warm and dry in the capital, with temperatures potentially exceeding 30 degrees in London across the five days.
With both previous Tests going the full distance, it will be interesting to see if Stokes will continue with the strategy of bowling first on what is set to be a flat pitch under the sun.
England do at least have a favourable record at the home of cricket against India, winning on 12 out of 19 occasions.
Last time out at Lord’s in 2021, the visitors triumphed against all the odds on the final day under the guidance of former skipper Virat Kohli.
Both sides will know just how important this match is to take control of the series before the final two Tests.
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Match prediction
As we have seen from the first couple of games, the bowlers that have stood up have been the key difference.
With Bumrah likely returning, his presence could elevate India’s pace attack and trouble the English batters once more.
However, the prospect of Archer and Atkinson returning to the fold will provide a much-needed boost for the home side as they look to replicate the success they found at Headingley.
We think India’s batters will once again be too much for England, though, with Gill continuing to pile on the runs as he guides his side to take a 2-1 lead in the series.
MORE FROM BILAL PATEL: Cricket news: Excellent Shubman Gill shines as India outclass England to level Test series
