India and England meet at the home of cricket, Lord’s, with the aim to break the deadlock in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy which stands at 1-1.
The visitor comes to the contest on the high of its record-breaking triumph at the Edgbaston in Birmingham less than a week ago. England, on the other, will be boosted by the return of express pacer Jofra Archer from injury.
India would draw inspiration from its last visit to the ground, when it beat the home team by a thumping margin of 151 runs.
India record at Lord’s
Played: 19
Won: 3
Draw: 4
Lost: 12
Last result: India beat England by 151 runs (2021)
Test matches at Lord’s (since 2000)
Played: 51
Batting first won: 23
Bowling first won: 15
Drawn: 13
Highest score: South Africa 682/6d vs England (2003)
Lowest score: Ireland 38 vs England (2019)
Highest target chased: England 282/3 vs New Zealand (2004)
Toss factor at Lord’s (since 2000)
Won the toss and opted to bat: 20 (10W, 6D, 4L)
Won the toss and opted to field: 30 (11W, 6D, 13L)
Pitch Report
According to multiple news reports, England was deliberting over playing on a pitch that would offer help to its fast bowlers. Captain Ben Stokes criticised the surface at Edgbaston, saying it played a lot like a subcontinent wicket, which hinted at England wanting to opt against a pitch that might help batters.
The inclusion of Jofra Archer suggests that the host expects pace and bounce from the wicket. India is also expected to bring back spearhead Jasprit Bumrah after resting him for the second Test in Birmingham.
Images of the pitch on social media in the lead up to the game showed a mild covering of grass on the surface. The last game played at the venue was the World Test Championship final between Australia and South Africa where the pacers dominated.
The quicks have had the edge at this ground recently. Since 2015, pacers have not only taken more wickets, but have an average of 25.77 in comparison to spinners’ 40.25.
While batting first has brought more success recently here, teams have struggled to post huge first innings totals. The average first innings score at Lord’s stands at 279 in the last 10 years.
Since 2015, out of 19 games played, the team batting in the first innings has been bundled out for 200 or less on eight occasions. Chasing has not been easy either, with only five teams overhauling targets at Lord’s since 2015, with the highest being 282.
