ENG vs IND: Archer says ‘time kind of flew by’ as the speedster returns to Test cricket after four years

Jofra Archer’s return to Test cricket couldn’t be sweeter than this: a wicket off his third ball after a four-year absence, cleaning up Rishabh Pant on the final morning of the game, and a win for England.

“Games like this make it a bit more enjoyable. Not all Test games are like this, and I’ll tell anyone, winning a Test match is a much better feeling than winning a T20 or a 50 over,” Archer said post England’s thrilling 22-run win over India in third Test at Lord’s.

Archer picked up five wickets across the two innings — two in first and three in the second —, coming back into the Test side after recovering from multiple injuries. “I actually woke up today, feeling a bit better than I thought I would have. So that’s a good sign to be here,” he said when quizzed how is body was feeling after playing for five days.

“It’s just a bit of relief. Obviously, it was a long road back and everything just feels worth it. All the rehab, everything that I’ve been through up to five days ago was definitely worth it.”

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Looking back at his journey in the last four years, Archer is grateful for the people who stuck by him during this time. “The time kind of flew. It was only Test cricket that probably needed the most time to get back to, but I’ve been playing cricket for the last year and a half, two years and I guess it was the right steps. Taking it format by format till eventually we got here,” Archer said.

Of the five wickets, the 30-year-old says picking Yashasvi Jaiswal off his third ball and getting a dangerous Pant out with a peach that sent the off stump flying on fifth day were his favourites. “Both are equally important in terms of the game but it’s hard to say which one is the favourite.”

England’s win came on July 14 — the six-year anniversary of its ODI World Cup triumph at the same venue, Lord’s. It was Archer who bowled England to a win in the super over. Speaking on his connection with home of cricket, he said: “I reckon I have only played a handful (games), but every time I’ve played here, it’s been something special. It’s a ground where you just have good memories and I feel that once you’ve got good memories here, it’s really hard to break it.”