England vs India third Test: Shubman Gill’s hunger for runs has grown with captaincy, says Tom Moody

Dubai: Virat Kohli made England feel the heat at Lord’s three years ago. Now, Shubman Gill is fanning those flames — and Ben Stokes is ready to douse them with fire of his own.

India’s thumping victory at Edgbaston has set the stage for a fiery third Test at Lord’s, where England will be desperate to respond after being outplayed on a flat track. Gill’s men are chasing a third straight Test win at the historic venue — something no Indian side has achieved before.

England, bruised but far from beaten, have added firepower to their XI with the return of Jofra Archer. And former Australia all-rounder Tom Moody expects the contest to explode.

“India have shown character to fight back in the second Test, which was brilliant to watch,” Moody told media in an online interaction following Desert Vipers’ ILT20 retentions.

“The Tests are a great advertisement for the format — the spirit both teams have played in and the quality of cricket has been second to none.”

Moody, a former World Cup-winner with Australia, praised Gill for handling the dual responsibility of captaincy and run-scoring with remarkable composure.

“It’s wonderful to see a young captain like Gill take to leadership like a duck to water,” Moody said. “It clearly hasn’t had any negative impact on his batting. If anything, it’s enhanced his hunger for runs.

“A lot of people were unsure how India would fare after the retirements of Kohli and Rohit. But those decisions have opened the door for young talent to shine — and India is never short of that.”

Gill scored a double century and a century at Edgbaston to underline his credentials as both a leader and a batter. Under his charge, India are embracing the transition with confidence and clarity.

Jasprit Bumrah’s expected return in place of Prasidh Krishna gives India’s bowling attack a sharper edge as they take on an English side keen to attack. The Bumrah vs Root battle, a key subplot in recent years, will resume with high stakes.

Mohammed Siraj, meanwhile, stands just six wickets away from reaching 200 international wickets. The Hyderabad pacer has been instrumental in India’s red-ball success, with 109 Test wickets already in just 38 matches.

England captain Ben Stokes made it clear his team will not be holding back when the third Test begins on Thursday. “We’ll be coming out this week trying to hit them hard and obviously trying to come away with a win,” he said in the pre-match press conference.

“This was always going to be a series where moments and results ebb and flow, because there are two very good teams going at each other. We came out on top at Headingley, and they came out on top in the last game.”

Jofra Archer replaces Josh Tongue in England’s XI, marking his return to Test cricket after more than three years. Archer, who has taken 42 wickets in 13 Tests, hasn’t featured in the format since February 2021 due to injury.

“It’s great for English fans, but also for Jof,” said Stokes. “The way he’s handled the injury setbacks has been commendable. He’ll be proud of himself to be back after two pretty big injury scares.”

India’s past triumphs at Lord’s — under MS Dhoni in 2014 and Virat Kohli in 2021 — were defined by fire and flair. Now it’s Gill’s turn to script history, and alongside him is KL Rahul, who scored a century in their last appearance at the home of cricket. Against a side desperate to hit back, with Moody predicting fireworks and Stokes promising a backlash, this isn’t just a Test — it’s a reckoning.