Irfan Pathan announces India playing XI for Lord’s Test against England, star pacer snubbed

Former all-rounder Irfan Pathan has predicted his playing XIs for India and England ahead of the third Test match of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, set to begin on Thursday, July 10, at Lord’s in London. The five-match series is evenly poised at 1-1 after India’s 336-run win in the second Test at Edgbaston.

India bounced back after a five-wicket loss in the first Test. Shubman Gill became the first Indian captain to lead his side to a Test win at Edgbaston in Birmingham. With the series now level, England, led by Ben Stokes, are likely to seek a pitch at Lord’s that offers more assistance to their fast bowlers.

Irfan Pathan Picks India's Playing XI for Lord's Test

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Irfan Pathan backed the same batting lineup for India, with KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal as his openers and Karun Nair to continue at No. 3 despite his poor form, stating that one good innings could revive his confidence.

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Pathan retained Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant in their positions in the middle order. He placed Ravindra Jadeja at No. 6 and moved Nitish Kumar Reddy down to No. 7. Reddy has struggled with the bat so far, but Pathan added that the youngster will improve with time and experience in English conditions.

Pathan included Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Akash Deep in India’s pace attack. Skipper Shubman Gill confirmed that Bumrah would return after being rested for the second Test to manage his workload.

It Will Become Even More Difficult for England - Irfan Pathan

Pathan said that India will have an advantage in seam-friendly conditions with Jasprit Bumrah returning to the playing XI. He said that Bumrah’s comeback will make things even tougher for England.

“And looking at the seam-friendly conditions, India’s main weapon — Jasprit Bumrah — who will return. Once he returns, it will become even more difficult for England. Akash Deep is already getting sharp movement, and Siraj will benefit too, even if he bowls as first change. India even has the option of adding another seaming bowler if needed — that’s the depth they have,” Pathan said.

Irfan Pathan's India predicted XI for 3rd Test: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj

Irfan Pathan Picks England's Playing XI for Lord's Test

In the same video, Irfan Pathan predicted that the top eight batters would remain unchanged. He expected Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley to open, followed by Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, and wicketkeeper Jamie Smith.

Pathan said that changes could come in the bowling department due to the seam-friendly nature of the Lord’s pitch. He added that England might go with an all-pace attack, with Joe Root handling spin duties instead of including a specialist spinner.

“For positions 9, 10, and 11 — in the last match, they had Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, and Shoaib Bashir. But now, with talk of Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson coming in, if both are picked, two fast bowlers from the previous match would have to sit out. And if seam-friendly conditions are expected, England might consider dropping the spinner (Bashir) altogether. In that case, Joe Root could handle part-time spin duties. Root can easily bowl 8–10 overs if needed.”

Irfan Pathan's England predicted XI for 3rd Test: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse

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