IND vs ENG: Advantage England as Jofra Archer returns to squad for second Test

England ace quick Jofra Archer is added to the squad for the second Test against India starting next Wednesday (Jul 2) at Edgbaston in Birmingham. Should the selectors pick him for the next game, Archer would play his first Test in over four years. Archer’s selection is the only change England made to their squad for the second Test after taking a 1-0 lead in the series opener in Leeds. Meanwhile, Archer made his first County appearance since May 21, when picked for Sussex’s away game at Durham in the last round of the Championship.

Besides those benched for the Headingley Test, including Sam Cook and Jamie Overton, Archer would join the five-man pace brigade in the dressing room, fighting for a spot in the starting XI alongside first-team Test quicks - Brydon Carse, Chris Woakes and Josh Tongue.

Archer last played a Test for England during the away tour of India in 2021, with Ahmedabad staging his final game in the whites before a series of injuries kept him away from this format for nearly four years. A recurrence of an elbow issue and back stress fracture reduced his game time for England, as he featured in just seven international white-ball matches between March 2021 and May 2024.

"It felt all right today," Archer said after day two of the County match between Sussex and Durham. "I've been playing for a year and bowling for two years, including the build-up, so everything is fine.

"Now, it's a different challenge because I know my body can hold up to it. The mental part of the game [will be tough]. Over the next couple of days, I'm going to have to battle a bit with it, but it's all good. It's a new challenge, and I'll keep trucking along,” he continued.

England Men's Test squad for the Edgbaston game –

Ben Stokes (captain), Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes