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Why Have India Made Just One Change to Playing XI vs England for Lord’s Test

Darpan Jain

India will bowl first for the first time in the series on a track again expected to be nice for batting.

After winning the toss, England opted to bat first, a different decision than their previous two decisions when they fielded first. That means India will bowl first for the first time in the series on a track again expected to be nice for batting.

Ben Stokes already announced England’s XI a day before the game, bringing in Jofra Archer for Josh Tongue as their only change from the previous fixture. Archer will play his first Test after more than four years at a venue where he has bowled a few hostile spells in the past.

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What changes have India made in their playing XI in each Test?

India went with four seamers and one spinner in the first Test, including Shardul Thakur. Further, they handed a debut to Sai Sudharsan, who batted at No.3, and Karun Nair returned to the Test squad.

However, the move didn’t work, as Thakur was expensive in both innings and failed to make a significant impact, even if he had a few wickets here and there. He lacked consistency, while Sudharsan couldn’t score big either.

After losing the first Test at Headingley, India made as many as three changes in their playing XI, dropping Sudharsan and Thakur, while resting Jasprit Bumrah as part of his workload management. They brought Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, and Akash Deep, with the former two aiming to add batting depth.

As it turned out, the move worked, and India delivered a better performance with both bat and ball. Sundar’s batting value and tight bowling helped India in different patches, while Akash Deep grabbed as many as ten wickets in a historic win.

For the third Test, India have made only a solitary change, bringing back Bumrah for Prasidh Krishna. Bumrah was certain to come in, and Krishna, who had been slightly unimpressive, had to sit out.

They kept other slots intact, which means Karun Nair gets another crack at No.3. He has failed in both matches, and with Sudharsan waiting for another chance, the pressure is mounting on Nair to deliver.

India Playing XI

Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

Result – t10 – United Kingdom
ECS England, Wimbledon, 2025
East Molesey ESM

137/6

Spencer SPE

147/5

Spencer beat East Molesey by 10 runs

Result – t10 – United Kingdom
ECS England, Wimbledon, 2025
Twickenham TWI

151/5

Spencer SPE

149/7

Twickenham Won by 5 wickets

Match delayed due to rain

Result – t10 – United Kingdom
ECS England, Wimbledon, 2025
East Molesey ESM

100/10

Weybridge WEY

105/6

Weybridge beat East Molesey by 4 wickets

Live – t10 – United Kingdom
ECS England, Wimbledon, 2025
Weybridge WEY

Twickenham TWI

130/4

Upcoming – t10 – United Kingdom
ECS England, Wimbledon, 2025
30 Jul 2025, 10:45 PM IST
East Molesey ESM

Twickenham TWI

Upcoming – t10 – United Kingdom
ECS England, Wimbledon, 2025
31 Jul 2025, 02:30 PM IST
Banstead BAN

Twickenham TWI

Upcoming – t10 – United Kingdom
ECS England, Wimbledon, 2025
31 Jul 2025, 04:30 PM IST
Weybridge WEY

Twickenham TWI

Upcoming – t10 – United Kingdom
ECS England, Wimbledon, 2025
31 Jul 2025, 06:30 PM IST
Banstead BAN

Spencer SPE

Upcoming – t10 – United Kingdom
ECS England, Wimbledon, 2025
31 Jul 2025, 08:45 PM IST
Spencer SPE

Weybridge WEY

Upcoming – t10 – United Kingdom
ECS England, Wimbledon, 2025
31 Jul 2025, 10:45 PM IST
Banstead BAN

Weybridge WEY

Result – t20 – Kamrup Metropolitan
GTC Spring T20 Cup, 2nd Edition, 2025
Bud Cricket Club BCC

156/5

91 Yards Club 91YC

155/3

Bud Cricket Club beat 91 Yards Club by 5 wickets

Result – t20 – Kamrup Metropolitan
GTC Spring T20 Cup, 2nd Edition, 2025
Nabajyoti Club NAJC

112/10

Guwahati Giants GUG

114/3

Guwahati Giants beat Nabajyoti Club by 7 wickets

Upcoming – t20 – Kamrup Metropolitan
GTC Spring T20 Cup, 2nd Edition, 2025
31 Jul 2025, 09:00 AM IST
Navarang Club NVR

City Cricket Club CCC

Upcoming – t20 – Kamrup Metropolitan
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31 Jul 2025, 01:15 PM IST
Guwahati Giants GUG

91 Yards Club 91YC

Upcoming – test – London
India tour of England, Test, 2025
31 Jul 2025, 03:30 PM IST
England ENG

India IND

Toss – t10 – Kuwait City
KCC T10 Summer League, 2025
30 Jul 2025, 10:15 PM IST
Royal Trivianz RTZ

Keraniganj Challengers KGC

Upcoming – t10 – Kuwait City
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31 Jul 2025, 12:15 AM IST
Tally Rangers TCC

Jhelum Jaguars JJ

Upcoming – t20 – Kuwait City
KCC T20 Summer League, 2025
31 Jul 2025, 10:00 PM IST
Stack CC STCC

Fakhr-E-Kashmir FEK

Upcoming – t20 – Kuwait City
KCC T20 Summer League, 2025
01 Aug 2025, 01:15 AM IST
Al mulla Exchange ALECC

CECC CEC-A

Live – test – Bulawayo
New Zealand tour of Zimbabwe, Test, 2025
Zimbabwe ZIM

149/10

New Zealand NZ

92/0

Upcoming – t20 – Lauderhill
Pakistan tour of West Indies, T20, 2025
01 Aug 2025, 05:30 AM IST
West Indies WI

Pakistan PAK

Result – t20 – Kabul
Shpageeza Cricket League, 2025
Band-e-Amir Dragons BAD

180/5

Amo Sharks ASS

182/1

Amo Sharks beat Band-e-Amir Dragons by 9 wickets

Result – t20 – Kabul
Shpageeza Cricket League, 2025
Speen Ghar Tigers SGT

198/9

Boost Defenders BDS

206/10

Boost Defenders beat Speen Ghar Tigers by 8 runs

Upcoming – t20 – Kabul
Shpageeza Cricket League, 2025
31 Jul 2025, 11:00 AM IST
Amo Sharks ASS

Mis Ainak Knights MAK

Live – t20 – Trinidad and Tobago
USA Women U19 tour of West Indies, 2025
West Indies Women U19 WIU19-W

89/8

United States Of America Women U19 USAU19-W

15/2

Result – oneday – Birmingham
Women’s One Day Cup, 2025
 Birmingham Bears Women BRB-W

239/10

Surrey Women SUR-W

240/7

Surrey Women beat Birmingham Bears Women by 3 wickets

Upcoming – t20 – Birmingham
World Championship of Legends, 2025
31 Jul 2025, 05:00 PM IST
Pakistan Champions PNC

India Champions IAC

Upcoming – t20 – Birmingham
World Championship of Legends, 2025
31 Jul 2025, 09:00 PM IST
South Africa Champions SAC

Australia Champions AAC

Why Kuldeep Yadav Was Not Considered

India making only a solitary change means Kuldeep Yadav still remains on the bench. There would have been a temptation to include him for the Lord’s Test, where the pitches have been slow in recent years.

However, India have opted for more batting depth and stuck with the same combination. If they wanted, Kuldeep could have come in for one of Nitish or Washington, but both have a higher batting value than Kuldeep.

Shubman Gill hinted that he will continue with Washington, especially after his crucial partnership with the captain. Then, Sundar also bowled well in both innings and removed a dangerous Ben Stokes in the final dig.

“It’s very tempting when you have a bowler like Kuldeep. One of the reasons why I wanted to play Washington was because he gives us the batting depth.”

If there was any track where Kuldeep’s best could have come, it’s the Lord’s, but the move is understandable from the team’s point of view. Quality-wise, Kuldeep is among the finest; it’s just that India want more assurance in the batting department.

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