Jofra Archer likely to play second Test vs India: Reports

The England pacer Jofra Archer, who has been injury-prone of late in his career, could be part of the second Test against India in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Edgbaston, Birmingham, starting on Wednesday, July 2.

Interestingly, Archer made his long awaited red-ball comeback for his County side Sussex against Durham in the County Championship Division One 2025, which commenced on Sunday, June 22. 

It’s important to note that the current English bowling line-up, including Chris Woakes, looked uninteresting in the ongoing Headingley Test as Team India, led by Shubman Gill, went on to score 471 runs in the first innings.

“Jofra Archer will return to red-ball cricket with Sussex — despite not being named in the squad for the County Championship match at Durham. If he comes through the match unscathed, he could be in the mix to play in the second Test against India at Edgbaston,” said a report in Sky Sports.

It’s worth noting that Archer last played first-class cricket four years ago. Though he wasn’t initially part of the 12-man travelling squad for Sussex, he was later included as a travelling player and finally in the playing XI.

Since Archer made it to the red-ball fixture for Sussex against Durham, he could be in contention for the second Test at Edgbaston from July 2 or the third Test at Lord's in London, starting from July 10.

Notably, Archer has played only white-ball cricket for his national team since 2021 because of his elbow and back injuries. Though he was expected to be a part of the England Lions set-up against India A, a thumb injury, which he suffered during the IPL 2025 season, hampered his plans.

Furthermore, England Test skipper Ben Stokes has also stated that Archer is keen to return to the longest format of the game.

“Randomly, a couple of times he would just send me a text... I was like, ‘Let’s just hold it there, alright. I know you’re in a good spot right now but let’s not just rush into it,’ Stokes said.

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