"It will be a challenge of Jofra Archer coming in. There might be a couple of bowling changes in England team but that we don't know." These were the words of Team India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak ahead of the 3rd Test vs England.
The Indian team and fans alike might be busy plotting against Jofra Archer at Lord’s, but what if we told you the real Lord of Lord’s might just be someone else?
Enter Gus Atkinson.
He missed the first two Tests due to injury, but now he’s fit, fired up, and all set to feature in the all-important 3rd Test. And here’s the twist — while Jofra brings the thunder, Gus brings the whole damn storm. Because his record at Lord’s? It’s genuinely terrifying.
In just two Tests at the Home of Cricket, Atkinson has already picked up 19 wickets, including three 5-wicket hauls in just four innings. His bowling average at Lord’s? A freakish 10.9, which basically means he grabs a wicket before a batsman can even score 11 runs. Atkinson’s made Lord’s look less like a historic venue and more like his own backyard.
And he’s not done there. With the bat, he’s been equally spectacular. Just last year, he blasted a 115-ball 118 against Sri Lanka at this very ground. That innings made him only the sixth player in Lord’s history to feature on all three of its iconic honours boards- a five-for, ten wickets in a match, and a century.
So while India might be preparing for Archer’s heat, they’d better not take their eyes off Gus — because he might just be the true landlord of Lord’s.
England squad for India Test series:
Ben Stokes (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson
India squad for England Test series:
Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc & wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav
