In the blue corner, after a one-Test absence, stands Jasprit Bumrah, chomping at the bit. In the red corner, for the first time in four years, looms the towering figure of Jofra Archer, desperate to reacquaint himself with the red-ball format. It’s a fascinating backdrop against which to kick off the third act of a compelling series at an iconic venue which is the stage for several of Indian cricket’s greatest triumphs.

The Lord’s of today doesn’t bear too much resemblance to the ground where Kapil Dev’s intrepid band turned the world order upside down on June 25, 1983 with their epochal conquest of mighty West Indies in the final of the last 60-over World Cup. There is a massive influx of the modern that has overrun the venue, but the old players’ balconies remain untouched. Maybe anywhere else, it might have appeared incongruous and out of place, but here, it seems perfectly natural for the old-world and the new-age to rub shoulders.

Jofra Archer during England’s practice session at Lord’s yesterday