Jofra Archer: 'I will do everything in my power to be on plane to Australia'

Jofra Archer has reiterated his desire to be involved in the winter's Ashes after making a stirring return to Test cricket in England's dramatic victory over India at Lord's.

Archer had not played a Test for more than four years due to a combination of elbow and back injuries, but finally made his return in whites after a carefully managed comeback. He took a wicket with his third ball and then produced key interventions in India's fourth-innings chase, on the way to match figures of 5 for 105.

Having got through 39.2 overs, while maintaining his speeds in the region of 90mph/145kph, Archer will now have a week to recover before the fourth Test, which starts at Old Trafford on July 23. He said he would be keen to play in both remaining matches against India, though England will likely closely manage his workloads.

Archer said in a post-match interview with Sky Sports that his overs "are still marked out for me until December", which hints at how meticulous England's planning has been. But a successful return has whetted his appetite for featuring against Australia, more than six years on from his previous Ashes experience.

"I can play the other two [against India] if they let me," he said. "I don't want to lose this series. I told Keysey [England men's managing director, Rob Key] I wanted to play the Test summer and I wanted to play the Ashes. I think one tick is already there and I will do everything possible in my power to be on the plane in November."

Archer's first outing under the captain-coach combination of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum could scarcely have gone better, with the bowler glad that the long periods in rehab had paid off.

"Obviously it [Test cricket] would have been the format which would have taken the most time to come back to. So I played 50-over [and] T20 for the last year, year and a half, two years. And you always just wondered… the guys have played some really exciting cricket since Baz [McCullum] took over. I think the mentality of the team under Baz suits the way I like to play my cricket. So, you know, I just couldn't wait to get back and actually do it without having to be prompted to do it."

His first wicket, Yashasvi Jaiswal caught at second slip, prompted an emotional celebration - although Archer was more analytical when assessing the moment after the game.

"With the slope, that's how I bowl to left-handers anyway. So, I guess it was just a matter of when, if I kept bowling like that. I can't imagine many left-handers getting away with it."

He was also notably pumped up on day five, giving Rishabh Pant and Washington Sundar send-offs as he and Stokes made the key breakthroughs to undermine India's attempts to pull off a chase 193. Archer said afterwards that his comment to Pant "wasn't a proud moment" but was part of a conscious team effort to be less "nice" as England sought to secure a 2-1 lead in the series.

"I think everybody had a word today," he said. "It was nice that everybody… we went together as a group, as a pack basically. And, you know, it didn't matter if it wasn't just the bowler, you had the whole slip cordon, you had cover, you had mid-off. You had everybody going in with you. It's days like this that make Test cricket feel special.