Jofra Archer returns after 4 years as England announce playing 11 for ENG vs IND 2025 3rd Test

England express pacer Jofra Archer marks his presence in the playing XI as the solitary change for the third Test against India, scheduled to begin on Thursday, July 10, at Lord's. The right-arm bowler was inching closer to a return ahead of the second Test at Edgbaston, but was not picked on that occasion.

Archer comes in for Josh Tongue in the bowling department as the rest of the team remains unchanged following the recent humbling 336-run defeat. Despite scathing criticism, Zak Crawley continues to open the innings with Ben Duckett, while Ollie Pope also survives intense competition from Jacob Bethell to keep a hold of the No.3 spot.

Newly crowned No.1 batter in Test cricket, Harry Brook, and Joe Root forge the bulk of the middle-order. Skipper Ben Stokes' batting position over Jamie Smith has come under scrutiny, given their contrasting batting forms. The left-handed batter has had three decent starts, and a golden duck in the series against India so far.

Chris Woakes stepped up at his home turf after a lean outing in the series opener, while Brydon Carse also recovers from a foot niggle to retain his place. Gus Atkinson failed to make it as he still recovers from a hamstring injury sustained during the one-off Test against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge in early June.

Shoaib Bashir is still the sole frontline spinner in the squad. The off-spinner is also under pressure after a rather poor start to the series. He has picked up eight wickets in the series so far, but at an average of 59.50.

Jofra Archer played in a county championship match for Sussex against Durham ahead of his Test cricket return, where he picked up figures of 1-32 in 18 overs.

England playing XI for third Test against India

Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes. Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir

Jofra Archer's last Test appearance in 2021 came against India

The speedster's last Test appearance came during the 2021 tour of India. He played in the third Test at the Narendra Modi Stadium, which infamously ended inside two days. Bowling five overs in the first innings, Archer finished with figures of 1-24, with the wicket being of the current Indian skipper, Shubman Gill.

As far as his last Test match appearance in England is concerned, it was during the home series against Pakistan in 2020. Since then, he has largely struggled with injuries while playing white-ball cricket for the country and franchise.

Archer's sole appearance at the Lord's came during his debut in the 2019 Ashes, where he famously rattled the Australian batters. He picked up figures of 2-59 and 3-32 in the drawn contest.