Jofra Archer opens up on HUGE fight with Rishabh Pant in Lord’s Test, says ‘wasn’t proud…’, video goes viral

Jofra Archer's return to Test cricket after 4.5 years helped England secure a convincing 22-run victory over India at the iconic Lord's Stadium.

England star pacer Jofra Archer returned to Test cricket after 4.5 years with a bang. He played a crucial role in the third Test at Lord’s on Monday. Archer grabbed five wickets, helping England secure a 22-run victory over India and a 2-1 series lead. This performance occurred six years after Archer helped England win their first cricket World Cup at the same venue.

Archer played a key role on the final day, dismissing Rishabh Pant and taking an impressive one-handed caught-and-bowled to remove Washington Sundar in the first session of the final day. Archer, in partnership with captain Ben Stokes, triggered a dramatic collapse as India crumbled from their overnight score of 58/4 to 82/7 within the first 40 minutes. Chasing a modest target of 193, the visitors ultimately fell short, getting bowled out for 170.

“Yeah, part of the reason I went with Jof this morning…six years ago now to the day. He played a major role, and I had a feeling he’d do something special and crack the game open.” Stokes said

Archer proved to be a headache for Indian batsmen with his speed reaching 90 mph (145kph), although Stokes managed his workload carefully with five-over spells well apart. “I had a gut feeling that Jof’s going to do something in his first game back. “Every time he’s announced on the tannoy, the ground erupts, and when the speeds go up on the screen, the feeling changes.”

The careful management of his bowling spells frustrated Archer, but he cooperated with the team, keeping in mind his history of elbow and back injuries.

“It was pretty hectic, for the first game back,” Archer told “I probably bowled a few more overs than I thought I would’v but every single one mattered today, so I’m not too fussed about it. Only played one Test at Lord’s and that one was just as special as this one. It’s been a long time coming, a lot of rehab, a lot of training. BUt moments like this make it worth it.” said Archer

Archer was confident about his Test cricket return despite his last Test being in February 2021 in Ahmedabad and his previous home Test in August 2020. “I’m not totally out of the woods yet but it’s a good start,” he said. “The style of cricket that this team plays, it means I’m going to bowl a lot of overs!”

The match was also marked by verbal exchanges, following Pant and Sundar’s dismissals.
“We came together as a group yesterday and said, you know, sometimes we’re too nice. We go to other places and some teams are not as nice as we are to them so i guess we are just tired to shift it. I don’t know if it gave us a bit more of a buzz in the field or not, but we will keep it in the bank for the future”

Regarding his verbal exchange with Pant, Archer said: It wasn’t a proud moment. I just told him to cherish that moment. He came down the track and that annoyed me a little bit so when the ball nipped down the slope, I was so grateful.

“Managing the workload is still very hard, being told you can bowl some days and not others,” Archer said on his recovery process.