The five-match Test series between India and England is set to begin on June 20. This Test series is part of the World Test Championship 2025–27 cycle. For the first time, Team India will take the field without legends like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who have retired from Test cricket.
Shubman Gill will lead the Indian side, while Ben Stokes will captain the England team. The first Test of the series will be played at Headingley in Leeds on June 20.
Headingley, Leeds Pitch Report for India vs England 1st Test 2025
Headingley Cricket Ground in Leeds is going to offer a typical English pitch for India vs England 1st Test. The first photos of surface are revealed and it shows an ample grass covering. There will be some moisture in the pitch, which will go away as the game progresses. The surface is expected to provide great help to seam bowlers in the first couple of days. If there is overcast conditions on the remaining days then batters will surely struggle against pacers.
However, if there are no overcast conditions then the surface is expected to get better for batting as the Test match progresses. The team which wins the toss should look to bat second. Anything below 300 runs in the first innings of the Test match is going to be below par. Also, spinners are not expected to play a major role in the game. There will be minimal help for them from the surface.
India’s Squad for the England Tour
Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (VC & WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana
England’s Confirmed Playing XI for 1st Test vs India
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (C), Jamie Smith (WK), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir