Gargi Raut at Lord’s
One day before the third Test between India and England at Lord’s, both teams held intense practice sessions under the London sun. With the series poised delicately, all eyes were on preparations, team dynamics, and, of course, selection hints. From Rishabh Pant’s press conference to Shubman Gill’s exhaustive net session and Jofra Archer’s surprising absence from bowling, there was plenty to take in. Here are the top three talking points from the day.
Rishabh Pant Reflects on Team Environment and His Bond with Gill
Rishabh Pant, India’s vice-captain, addressed the press a day ahead of the Test and offered insights into the team’s current atmosphere. While he remained tight-lipped about the playing XI and possible combinations, stating that decisions would be made after a final look at the surface, he opened up about the camaraderie within the squad.
He spoke warmly about his relationship with captain Shubman Gill. “We are friends on and off the field, and that’s where the trust comes from,” Pant said. “We hope it will help the rest of the boys, and we can continue to play as a collective.” Given everything that had unfolded behind the scenes during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, seeing the team united again is a positive development for Indian cricket, especially in the long term. The unified front was quite evident in the second Test match at the Edgbaston Stadium where Gill and Pant were involved in repeated dialogues in between overs.
Gill, KL, Yashasvi, and Karun’s Extended Batting Sessions
All eyes were on captain Shubman Gill, who’s been in spectacular form, with two centuries and a double ton already in the series. He began his session with throwdowns before facing spinners and seamers in the nets. He didn’t stop there. Gill later moved to the side nets, where Ryan ten Doeschate bowled underarm knockdowns, helping the skipper sharpen his drives.
KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Karun Nair were also heavily involved and had a somewhat similar routine, each spending nearly two hours in the nets. The volume and structure of their sessions gave some clues to the team’s possible XI, with Nair, in particular, appearing set to retain his spot.
Jofra Archer’s Surprise No-Show With the Ball
The biggest talking point from England’s early morning session was Jofra Archer. Many arrived early, hoping to catch a glimpse of him bowling. However, Archer only batted and didn’t roll his arm over. It was a surprise given the buzz around his Test return. Shoaib Bashir was the only England bowler to bowl in the nets, while skipper Ben Stokes had an extended batting hit.
While the England team has already announced its playing XI, with just one change—Archer replacing Josh Tongue, it remains to be seen whether India will adopt a similar approach. Although, it is a given that Jasprit Bumrah will replace Prasidh Krishna in the team, everyone has their eyes peeled on whether there will be any surprises in the team selection.
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