England lead India 2-1 after Lord’s Test thriller. Old Trafford awaits. Archer’s pace, Rahul’s form & Stokes’ resurgence set up a blockbuster finale.
England vs India Test series 2025
This series has been a huge advert for test cricket and shows the public and organisers that this is still the most exciting part of the sport despite other formats attracting more casual audiences. With talk of four-day tests as opposed to five-day tests, day 5 at Lord’s proved all the doubters wrong and showed everyone that there is still thrilling cricket to be observed with the most traditional aspects of the game.
With the series tied 1-1 prior to the test at the home of cricket, England have now taken a 2-1 lead after a monumental comeback with the ball despite a spirited India batting display which nearly saw them grab victory after it looked like the game was slipping away from them with wickets tumbling thanks to some expert England bowling.
With Old Trafford the next stop on this tour for India, where tickets can still be picked up on Ticket-Compare.com, it is likely to be as raucous as Headingley was, but what do both teams need to do to win the test?
1. Jofra Archer must play for England
After so long out of the Test setup, Archer’s inclusion was questioned by many who felt he did not need to come back into the Test setup during a series with England’s bowling lineup doing well. However, his inclusion was justified three balls in when he had Yashasvi Jaiswal toiling straight away and then finally sending one to second slip, where Harry Brook took the catch.
Archer’s pace and determination has lifted England when they needed it. He adds something more than Josh Tongue, who is a fine bowler, but it was summed up when he took the catch off his own bowling one-handed as well as completing a five-wicket haul.
Despite some concerns over his fitness, if England want to win the series, it is imperative that Archer plays in the test especially at Old Trafford where the pitch offers pace and bounce.
2. Keep the needle in the game, both teams prosper
At Lord’s, we saw the match just have an extra bit of bite to it than seen at Headingley and Edgbaston. Both teams are not shy when it comes to sledging and giving it out. However, it was India who ramped it up with England taken aback as the series did not seem to have that edge initially.
With ball changes becoming very frequent, more frequent than it should be (depending on your allegiance), India set the tone with how the match was to be played and gamesmanship crept in.
The sledging in the field started especially when England were on the ropes and Joe Root batting, Mohammed Siraj chirped up with a brilliant line of "Root, where's Bazball?" This encouraged Rishabh Pant to add from behind the stumps. "Baz, Baz, Bazball, come on, I want to see."
Throw in Siraj barging into Ben Duckett as he dismissed him, Zak Crawley doing all he coud to slow things downin the last over of the day, Washington Sundar’s comments of overconfidence, Brendon McCullum encouraging the England talk from the balcony and Archer obliging. Test cricket was not so gentlemanly at Lord’s.
Some may not like it but it was a fantastic spectacle with both sides giving as good as each other creating a more competitive nature on the pitch and one many fans love to see.
3. A change to the slow over rate
England have been rightly fined for their slow over rate, and it should encourage control on the pitch in this manner. It was poor from England but India were no victims to this either as they seeked the aid of the physio a lot. Both sides will look to improve the pace of the game and with the added needle in the game there will be no issue of the over rate being so slow.
4. Jaiswal and Rahul will be key to success at Old Trafford
Old Trafford traditionally favours the top order and if you win the toss then you must bat. India’s batting line up is one of the best in the world and at least one of the top order have set the world alight. Out of the two opening batsment Jaiswal made 105 at Headingley with a century knock , 115 at Edgbaston (87 the highest) but just 13 runs including a duck at Lord’s. Rahul on the other hand got 179 at Headingley (including a massive 137 runs in the 2nd innings), 57 (a half century) at Edgbaston and 139, with a century at Lord’s.
Rahul and Jaiswal have batted really well already in England and if they get themseleves in first they could be in for a long time if they continue to bat the way they have been.
Even if one does fall then Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant could easily take over the mantle.
5. Ben Stokes’ allrounder label will be called into question
There is no doubting the ability of Ben Stokes and he is an integral part of the England cricket set up especially as captain. This was evident in the last test with quick fielding changes to adapt to the game as the run chase kept dropping.
However, this is arguably the best we have seen Stokes for a long time with bat and ball. Stokes has pushed himself more with the ball this series in an effort to preserve his quicker bowlers and this has not gone unnoticed.
He has yet to explode with the bat and has only picked up a highest score of 44, it has been his work with the ball that has carried England through particularly in the Lord’s test where he picked up the man of the match for his bowling figures.
With 11 wickets in the series so far, Stokes will be hoping for some overcast weather, which is highly likely in Manchester, to help him take some more vital wickets. Yet he has to step it up with the bat this series but everyone knows it is easily retrived from his locker.
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