England pacer Jofra Archer is on the heels of a potential Test comeback in the home series against India, as soon as the second game at Edgbaston in Birmingham. Archer, who has been able to sustain his fitness and just played the entire season of the IPL for Rajasthan Royals, except for the last two games when the tournament was suspended, hasn't played a Test for England for over four years but is set to play for Sussex's second team to build up his red-ball workload.
"Jof's also tracking along really well actually," said England's chief selector Luke Wright on Archer's potential presence in the India Test series. "The plan is for him to play a few second-team games, loading up in the second team for Sussex. And then the idea for him is to play for Sussex against Durham during the first Test [June 22-25]. Then if all things go well, fingers crossed, he should be available for the second Test.
England's bowling attack for the first Test against India will be a bit depleted with Gus Atkinson unavailable due to a hamstring strain. However, Brydon Carse and Chris Woakes returning to the fold was big news for England and with Archer potentially joining the roster, it will be a huge boost.
"Like anything with all these bowlers, he's got to keep ticking things off everyday with no setbacks," Wright added. "But, if all goes well and he gets through that Durham game, then he's available potentially for selection for that second Test."
Wright also mentioned that like Archer, Mark Wood and Olly Stone, who underwent injuries in March and April respectively, have started bowling a bit and might be in the picture for potentially the second half of the India series.
The five-match Test series between England and India kicks off at Headingley in Leeds on June 20, followed by the second at Edgbaston from July 2.