ENG vs IND 2025: England win toss and elected to bat first; Team news and everything you need to know

England won the toss and decided to bat first on a fresh Lord's surface. The decision by the home team skipper Ben Stokes was surprising, as there is some grass on the track. Team India, as was expected, has included Jasprit Bumrah in their playing combination in place of Prasidh Krishna, who was mostly ineffective in the previous match. For England, Jofra Archer is ready to hit the deck. 

The series is nicely poised at 1-1, and both teams will look to win the encounter at the iconic Lord's. The inclusion of Jasprit can be beneficial for Shubman Gill and Co., because the pitch can generate some extra bounce with the new red ball. At first look, the pitch is not only for bowling or batting friendly only; both ends can get benefits if they are able to utilize the conditions well.

Pitch Condition 

"There’s a bit of grass on the surface, though it has been trimmed slightly. The idea is to retain some pace and carry, which is why they’ve left that bit of grass on,” said Nasser Hussain. “Expect the short ball to be a key weapon on this track. Also, the natural slope here will come into play—especially for the seamers.”

Words from captains

Ben Stokes was confident about his decision to bat first. He showed belief in his boys and was hoping for a fresh start. "We’re going to have a bath first. There’s usually something in the surface early on, but overall it looks like a good wicket. It’s been a well-fought series so far, and we’re really up for this one. The body’s feeling good. It’s a quick turnaround, but we’re fresh and ready to go. Everyone loves playing at Lord’s—you’ve got to enjoy occasions like this." 

India captain Shubman Gill was not totally unhappy after losing the toss. His plan was to bowl first if he won the toss. Gill said, "If I had won the toss, I would have bowled first—there’s usually something in it for the bowlers during the first session. The good thing is that everyone contributed in the last game, and that’s exactly what we had spoken about. The bowlers are feeling confident."

Read More: WATCH: BCCI latest video on Lord's ahead of ENG vs IND 3rd Test

Playing XIs

England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (w), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir

India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (w), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj