As India prepare to face England in the third Test at Lord’s, former pacer Stuart Broad and current England batter Jos Buttler have pointed to Jofra Archer as a bowler who could pose a serious challenge to Shubman Gill — the India captain in red-hot form.
Gill has been the standout performer in the series so far, smashing three centuries, including a double hundred in the second Test at Edgbaston. Across the two Tests, the right-hander has already amassed 585 runs at an average of 146.25, firmly establishing himself as the central figure in India’s strong start to the five-match series.
Broad and Buttler shared their views on Archer’s potential impact in the upcoming Test during an episode of Broad’s podcast, Love of Cricket. Both of them discussed how Archer’s pace and prior success against Gill in T20 formats could make him a useful option for England.
“He was just cruising. It didn’t look like anything could trouble him…He didn’t do anything badly. Maybe a bit unlucky. But once Gill got in, goodness me — that move to No. 4! He spent most of his career so far opening the batting, averaging around 30. Since Virat Kohli retired, he’s moved to number four and gone on to score a hundred, a big double, a big 150 — just awesome.It looks like he’s got no weaknesses at all,” Broad said.
“I think the ball that nips back and tries to get him bowled is still an option. Obviously, Jofra Archer will be coming back into the side at Lord’s, I imagine — not that I’m picking the team — but he did get Shubman bowled in the IPL, nipping one back through the gate. But other than that, he’s a very correct player. India produce a lot of technically very correct players,” Buttler said.
Archer, who was added to England’s squad ahead of the Birmingham Test, was not picked in the playing XI. His omission came amid concerns over his recent return to red-ball cricket, having played just one first-class match for Sussex after nearly four years away from the format. Many pundits had questioned whether selecting Archer at such a crucial stage would have been a risk, especially given the form of the Indian batting lineup.
The numbers, however, provide some support to England’s hopes. In Tests, Gill has faced Archer in three innings, scoring just 18 runs while being dismissed twice. The Indian batter has managed only two boundaries against him in that period, and his strike rate against Archer stands at 64 — suggesting that the England pacer has had some success in troubling him.
Despite the limited sample size, it is one of the few matchups that has statistically favoured England so far in the series.
With Gill fresh off a commanding 269-run knock at Edgbaston — a performance that led India to their first-ever Test win at the venue — his wicket will be critical to England’s hopes of bouncing back in the series. While it remains uncertain whether Archer will be brought into the playing XI for the Lord’s Test, the discussion around his inclusion reflects England’s search for answers to stop India’s momentum.
The final decision will rest with captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum, but Archer’s pace, bounce and past record against Gill may make him a compelling option.
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