England have announced their playing XI for the upcoming third Test of the five-match series against Team India at Lord's in London, starting on July 10.

The five-match series is currently level at 1-1 after England lost the second Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham. Ben Stokes-led side kicked off the Test series with a five-wicket win over Team India at Headingley in Leeds. However, the visitors bounced back strongly in the second Test at Edgbaston, registering a memorable 336-run victory to level the series.

Since the contest is currently level at 1-1 after two Tests of the five-match series, England and India will look to seize the momentum for a win at iconic Lord's Cricket Ground and take a crucial lead heading into the final two matches at Old Trafford in Manchester and Kennington Oval in London.

Jofra Archer makes Test return after 4 years

England have made only one change in their playing XI from the Edgbaston Test defeat is the inclusion of pacer Jofra Archer by replacing Josh Tongue. With his inclusion in the Lord's Test, Archer has made his comeback to red-ball cricket at international cricket after four years.

The right-arm pacer's last appearance for England in the longest format was in the third Test against India in Ahmedabad in 2021. Since then, Archer had not been included in the squad due to elbow and back injuries. Jofra Archer was supposed to play the Edgbaston Test after being included in the squad. However, the 30-year-old returned home before the second Test due to a family emergency.

One change for Lord's 🔁After a four year wait...Jofra returns to Test Cricket 😍

- England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 9, 2025

Before making a Test comeback, Jofra Archer made his return to red-ball cricket through a County Championship match for Sussex against Durham at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street on June 22. Archer registered a figure of 1/32 at an economy rate of 1.77 in his 18 years and scored 31 off 34 balls in the first innings.

Jofra Archer received a medical clearance to make a comeback to the England Test squad after a gap of four years, which is a significant boost for England ahead of the Lord's Test.

Zak Crawley, Shoaib Bashir retained

Despite a moderate outing in the first two Tests of the ongoing five-match series, opener Zak Crawley has managed to retain his place in the team, despite speculations of him getting dropped from the team. In four innings, Crawley has scored just 88 runs, including a fifty, at an average of 22.00.

Shoaib Bashir is the only specialist spinner in the squad and retained his place in the playing XI as England continue to back young off-spinner despite conceding 720 runs at an average of 59.50, while taking eight wickets in four innings. Bashir conceded the most runs by any bowler in the ongoing Test series between England and India.

However, Gus Aktinson, who was included in the squad for the Lord's Test, and Jamie Overton have been left out of the playing XI, team management opting to persist with seasoned campaigner Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse to partner with Jofra Archer in the pace attack.

England's playing XI for the Lord's Test

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

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