Oh Lord’s, it will be enticing with the return of Jasprit Bumrah

The heat is on, literally. After the massive belting India handed England in the second cricket Test for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, Ben Stokes’s side does not know where to hide its face. If the comment on the wicket/pitch at the Edgbaston Ground in Birmingham was one of the worst excuses which could have been offered by the English captain, it is also now, clear, coach Brendon McCullum is also at fault.

In England, their media, digital/print and electronic, comprises plenty of former cricketers who have played at the highest level. English is their natural language and when they have to write prose on the pros and cons of Bazball, it is caustic. Eminent writers like Mike Atherton and Nasser Hussain have not spared England. They believe in calling a spade a spade.

So, as cricket’s caravan rolled into the Lords, a historical venue where England are going to feel the heat, literally, to watch images of Jasprit Bumrah back at nets was a delight. Having ‘missed’ the second Test in Birmingham, Bumrah is more than raring to have a go at the English batters, who are in tatters. One can imagine the English batters struggling in the sub-continent, notably in India, as was evident in the last series in 2024.

However, for Ben Stokes to say the wicket in Birmingham resembled more ‘one in India’ is an excuse which has come in for copious flak. Fact of the matter, Ben Stokes’s captaincy is under the scanner and this fetish for bowling after winning the toss has failed miserably. Ben needs to be shown the scorecard of both Tests, where India have scored an aggregate of 1,000 runs in two innings. That is a telling story of how impotent the English bowling has been in a painful summer of 2025.

As the two teams meet at Lord’s from July 10, the momentum shift has been massive. India are on a high under Young Turk Shubman Gill. For those who may be tempted to think minus the three legends who have retired from Test cricket, R.Ashwin, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, one can dispense with Bumrah as well, don’t get it wrong. The world fears Bumrah. On Tuesday, the most devastating bowler in contemporary Test cricket bowled at nets for around an hour, with it being an optional training session. Bumrah has had a good break and rested his back, which is bad news for the English batting, which, on paper, still looks impressive.

For those who have fallen in love with the bowling exploits of Akash Deep and Mohd Siraj, imagine, with Bumrah also as part of the pace attack, England will have sleepless nights. If anyone thinks England will be bolstered by the return of Jofra Archer, the fast bowler has spent more time in absence than presence. For the record, England have announced their side.

Back to Lord’s, for those who think the English wickets are like the old ones where there was movement in the air and off the seam, times have changed. It is pretty much like Wimbledon’s grass surface, more standardised bounce, heavier ball. It means, tennis players have to generate more power, though the irresistible ones like Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz will win at any cost with robust games.

Lord’s is not the same wicket fans knew many summers ago. The green tinge may look like the proverbial temptress, but will England dare to entice India? Doubtful, since the Indian bowling attack found its mojo in Birmingham. Indeed, a long Test series spread over five matches is a full course. From a fans’ perspective, they are lapping it up, if viewership figures are anything to go by. The momentum has swung in favour of India. And that’s important when the two teams resume battle at the most traditional cricket venue in the world, even today.