ENG vs IND 2025: What are all the possible changes that India will make ahead of the 3rd Test?

With the third test of the 'Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy' imminent and fast approaching, all the drama and talks shift towards London. India's scintillating win at Edgbaston, Birmingham, evened out England's record chase at Headingley, Leeds. The series now stands level at 1-1, with the third game slated to be played at the 'Home of Cricket', Lord's, from Thursday, 10th July. There is only a three-day gap between the end of the second test and the start of the third. With two intensely-fought games already over, little turnaround between the current fixtures, and a bit of travelling involved from the English Midlands to the south, in London, teams might consider changes in the playing personnel. 

With everyone getting sufficient game time in the first two tests, the management, now, might consider playing those based on recent form, strategies, tactics, and those who sat out at Edgbaston courtesy of workload management. Keeping all these scenarios in consideration, teams might be tempted to ring in a few potential changes in the playing XI that takes the field at Lord's. With the venue having historically favoured fast bowlers, as is the case at any ground in England, bolstering the pace battery is an imperative. The slope there adds a unique dimension, with the bowlers preferring to bowl from the end that gets the geography into play, thus enabling them to make the best use of the conditions. The dry English summer, this time around, has left little scope for grass and moisture on the pitch. These circumstances have drastically brought the spinners into the picture much earlier than they used to in the past, on English soil. 

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Jasprit Bumrah likely to return for third Test at Lord's

Conditions and venue depending, Washington Sundar might make way for the Chinaman bowler, Kuldeep Yadav. The latter is a genuine wicket-taking option and has historically gotten under the skin of the English batters with his subtle variations. His leg spin, googlies, and flippers have proven to disguise and fox the opposition batters. His inclusion may weaken India's batting a bit, but surely won't let the Englishmen break free in terms of their run-scoring.

Jasprit Bumrah is a certainty to take the new ball for India at Lord's, and his return was confirmed by the skipper, Shubman Gill, in the post-match presentation at Edgbaston. Prasidh Krishna's place is likely to be taken away to create space for the number one-ranked test bowler in the International Cricket Council's (ICC) rankings. Sai Sudarshan might, again, have to wait for his turn as Karun Nair is expected to hold the number three spot despite his average returns so far. Nitish Kumar Reddy shall get another go at Lord's and would be expected to play the all-rounder role better than the last match, batting with the tail, and bowling some crucial overs. 

India's probable playing XI for the third test: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep.