IND vs ENG: Jofra Archer Does Water Boy Duties and Serenaded With Chants From English Fans at Edgbaston

Ahead of the second India vs England Test at Edgebaston, there was a lot of speculation around whether or not the hosts would include Jofra Archer in their playing XI. In the end, they chose to stick with the same playing XI from the first Test despite the fact that Archer was named in the squad and had played a County game to prepare. 

However, Archer was spotted on Day 1 of the 2nd Test and to say that he was a popular man was an understatement. The fast bowler was running the drinks for his teammates and was serenaded by chants of ‘Du Du Du Du, Jofra Archer’ by the fans in attendance. 

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Fans Long to See Archer Back

It is clear that fans are almost desperate to get a glimpse of Archer back in the Test whites and it does seem as if it is a matter of when it happens, rather than if. 

Many felt Archer was a shoo-in for the second Test but he left the squad temporarily due to a family emergency - he did return to the squad but he was not named in the XI. 

However, Archer did not show any signs of unease during his County stint and even when he was spotted at Edgbaston, one got the feeling he would rather be out in the middle than on the sidelines. 

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Archer Nearing End of Four-year Pain

It has been a long wait for Archer to even be in this position as he has dealt with a series of injury issues and setbacks in the last 4 years. 

He was set for a return during the series vs England in 2021 but a recurrance of his long-term injury scuppered that, and since then he has been limited largely to white-ball cricket. 

That has helped bring back his rhythm but a Test comeback has not been seriously mooted until this year. Whether it happens at Lord's or not remains to be seen but Archer is keen for it to happen.