Star player from Sanju Samson’s RR called up for India vs England 2nd Test at Edgbaston, his name is…
Ben Stokes-led England team are already up 1-0 in the five-match Test series against India with their brilliant five-wicket win in the first Test at Leeds on Tuesday. The England selectors announced the squad for the second Test against India starting at Edgbaston in Birmingham on July 2, recalling star pace bowler from Sanju Samson’s Rajasthan Royals – Jofra Archer to the Test side after more than a year.
The 30-year-old right-arm quick returns to the England Test set-up for the first time since February 2021 and will be looking to add to his 13 Test caps at Edgbaston next week.
Archer’s Test career has been dogged by injuries. Since making his debut in 2019, Archer has only played in 13 Tests and claimed 42 wickets at an average of 31.04.
Jofra Archer return to first-class cricket after 4 years.
The 30-year-old pacer’s last Test came against India at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad in February 2021. Archer played his first first-class match after four year, turning out for Sussex against Durham in a County Championships match. He scored 31 with the bat and claimed 1/32 in 18 over which was enough for selectors to recall him for the second Test.
Archer could come into the playing 11 for Edgbaston by replacing all-rounder Chris Woakes, who looked well below par in the first Test against India at Leeds. The other two England pacers – Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue – put up a much better show in the second innings as they made a stunning comeback from 330 for 4 in the second essay.
Michael Vaughan wants more first-class matches for Jofra Archer
Former England captain Michael Vaughan, however, warned the England selectors to be careful with the pacer. He wanted Archer to play one more first-class game before returning to the Test side.
“The good thing is that Jofra is back in the equation – but I’d like to see him play another four-day game,” Vaughan told the BBC.
“He’s not played the longer format for four years so why, on the back of one game for Sussex against Durham, would you rush him back? We know the intensity at Test-match level is so different to county cricket. Let him play another four-day game – I would go with the same line-up, as long as the bowlers are fine and there are no niggles,” Vaughan added.
Archer was bought for Rs 12.50 crore by Samson’s Rajasthan Royals at the IPL 2025 mega auction. He claimed 11 wickets in 12 matches for RR as they finished in 9th place on the Points Table this season.
England squad for 2nd Test vs India
Ben Stokes (Captain), Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue and Chris Woakes
(More to come)
News