Following the hosts' crushing 336-run loss to India in Sunday's second test match at Edgbaston, England captain Ben Stokes wasn't in the greatest of moods.  

Without their best pacer, Jasprit Bumrah, who skipper Shubman Gill has announced will rejoin the playing XI at Lord's for the third Test, which begins on July 10, the visitors accomplished that achievement.  

Stokes, however, gave a blunt response when questioned about taking on Bumrah at Lord's.

“I thought I’d get through a press conference without being asked about Jasprit Bumrah. We play against each other so often you know what you will be faced with so you put it into practice in training,” he said at the post-match press conference.

“Try to do what you can with the coaches and the sidearms, going wide on the crease, trying to give you practice like their bowling lineup. It’s always tough to replicate something that will come down at you in a game,” he added.

The England skipper also did not reveal if pacer Jofra Archer will make it to the team at Lord’s.

“Again, it’ll be a decision that we have to make, seeing how everyone pulls up. We’ve had him here this week to get around the group and build him up with his workloads. Everyone’s in consideration for the game at Lord’s,” Stokes said.

“We’ve obviously had some unbelievable wins and some bad defeats. I feel I’m quite good and the team is quite good at staying level throughout those ups and downs. We knew coming into the series it wasn’t going to be easy. Disappointed with the loss here as it would have been great to carry the momentum over from the first game but we don’t find ourselves sitting here like that. We have to wipe this one under the carpet as quickly as we can because Lord’s day one will be coming around pretty quickly,” he added.

The series stands 1-1 thanks to India’s dominant win at Edgbaston and the series move to Lord’s in London with the third Test beginning on Thursday.