Jofra Archer absolutely desperate to return to England Test team: Captain Ben Stokes

Jofra Archer has played only 13 Tests in his six-year-long career so far, the last of them coming against India at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad in February 2021. The right-arm seamer has been eager to play the longest format of the game for quite some time, but the team is in no hurry to have him back, given his history of injuries in recent years.

Recurring elbow troubles and, more recently, a broken thumb has hampered Archer's progress in international cricket. However, the 30-year-old is expected to make his red-ball comeback for the Three Lions during the five-match Test series against India.

England captain Ben Stokes revealed that Archer has been absolutely desperate to play Test cricket. The legendary all-rounder also said that the fast bowler messaged him ahead of the one-off Test against Zimbabwe last month, inquiring whether he was in the scheme of things as far as his selection was concerned.

"He's been absolutely desperate to put the white shirt back on. Out of the blue, he'd sometimes text me saying, 'Zim?' - as in, 'Am I in for Zimbabwe?' I had to tell him, 'Let's just hold it there. I know you're feeling good, but we don't want to rush it,'" Stokes said in the pre-match press conference.

It is hoped the speedster will take an important step in his comeback this Sunday, June 22, when he turns out for Sussex in a County Championship fixture against Durham.

The English skipper empathised with Archer, who has missed a considerable amount of cricket due to injuries, and expressed his excitement at the prospect of having the right-arm pacer's services in the near future.

"He's had a torrid run with injuries, but he's managed a fair bit of white-ball cricket recently. It's encouraging not just for England, but more so for Jof. The fact that we can now put a structure in place for his red-ball return is a great sign," Stokes said.

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After the Tests against India, England are set to play the Ashes later this year when they travel to Australia to face Pat Cummins and Co. The Three Lions' skipper has an opportunity to etch his name as one of England's greatest captains of all time if he manages to guide his team to success in these two important red-ball assignments. However, the 34-year-old said that he isn't too concerned about personal goals and milestones while playing for the country.

"There's always a different energy when India or Australia are in town - we're aware of how much these series mean. But I've never sat down thinking about how this could define my time as captain. That would be selfish, and that's just not who I am. I'd like to believe that since taking on the role, I've given it everything. I don't spend time worrying about how people will assess me once it's all over - I just focus on leading this team with everything I've got."