Shubman Gill led Team India is going to tour England for a five match Test series in June 2025. The first match of the series is scheduled to be played at the Headingley Stadium in Leeds from 20th June. It is going to be an important match as it could decide the momentum of entire series. India with its young brigade would surely want to win but England will be eager to stop them. BCCI has already announced the Indian squad for the England tour. Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have retired from Tests and it would be a huge task to fill their boots. Let’s take a look at the probable playing XI of India for the 1st Test against England.
India’s Squad for England Tour 2025
Shubman Gill (Captain), Rishabh Pant (Vice-Captain & WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav
India’s Probable Playing XI for 1st Test against England
Openers – Yashasvi Jaiswal & KL Rahul
In the last couple of years, Yashasvi Jaiswal has become a regular opener for India in Tests. He is set to open in the series against England as well. KL Rahul, the crisis man of India is expected to play the second opener as Rohit Sharma has retired and a place has opened up in the playing XI. Rahul has proven to be a good opener with solid technique in Test matches.
Middle Order – Shubman Gill, Karun Nair & Rishabh Pant
Shubman Gill is expected to play at his usual spot of number 3 in the playing XI. Karun Nair is expected to be the one to play at number 4. He has shown great growth as a cricketer in past couple of years. He recently struck a century against England Lions. At No. 5, Rishabh Pant is a no-brainer. He is India’s best batter in Test cricket.
All-rounders – Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja & Shardul Thakur
Nitish Kumar Reddy was phenomenal in his debut series for India against Australia. He is going to be one of the key players in the longest format of the game for India. Reddy is expected to play at 6, followed by Ravindra Jadeja at 7. Jadeja is the most experienced player in India’s squad at the moment. Shardul Thakur is expected to play ahead of Washington Sundar due to England’s seaming conditions for bowlers.
Bowlers – Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna & Mohammed Siraj
The best bowler in the world, Jasprit Bumrah is definitely going to be in India’s playing XI for the 1st Test against England. Prasidh Krishna has shown immense growth during the IPL and is expected to start for India. Mohammed Siraj is India’s best swing bowler that makes him an obvious choice in the playing XI.
Players Left Out
Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Kuldeep Yadav and Arshdeep Singh are not expected to be in the playing XI of 1st Test against England. However, most of them are expected to feature in India’s line-up in the following Tests.