Last Updated on 3 months by Charbel Coorey
The weather forecast looks magnificent for the highly anticipated third Test between England and India at Lord’s. India levelled the series thanks to a superb performance at Edgbaston, where they hammered the hosts by 336 runs. Shubman Gill’s team will be looking to build on that display.
On the other hand, England need a quick bounceback. They have decided to make one change, with Jofra Archer to play his first Test since 2021, in place of Josh Tongue.
Lord’s weather forecast for 3rd Test: Warm weather all match
AccuWeather forecasts very warm conditions for the entire Test. Temperatures are expected to cross 30 degrees on each of the first four days, with a high top of 29 on day five as well.
Conditions may encourage the captain who wins the toss to bowl. Although there is a possibility the Lord’s surface will spin later in the game due to the heat, the pitch is expected to have the most assistance for the fast bowlers on day one. Also, the warm conditions can then settle the pitch down into one that becomes a dream for batting on days two and three.
So, batting well on day one is crucial. The team batting the majority of days two and three could go on to win this Test.
However, a closely fought first innings will make for an interesting finish. Given the hot and dry weather, the spinners may have a say on days four and five. This is potentially why England have chosen to persist with Shoaib Bashir despite calling for a pitch with “plenty of life in it”.
Also, India may persist with the same team combination that took the field at Edgbaston, with Jasprit Bumrah for Prasidh Krishna the only change. Should India go with this approach, the thinking is Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep can deliver when the pitch is offering assistance. Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar can then impact the match later on.
South Africa won the recent World Test Championship Final after opting to bowl. 28 wickets fell on days one and two, before the Lord’s pitch eased out under sunshine on day three. Temba Bavuma and Aiden Markram stitched a magnificent, matchwinning partnership that all but sealed the mace for the Proteas.
