India start new era without Kohli and Rohit against England when the five-match series begins from today and it marks the beginning of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025–27 cycle for both teams
After nearly one and a half years, India and England are set to lock horns in red-ball cricket as they kick off the series at Headingley, Leeds.
In the last WTC cycle, England ended fifth with 11 wins in 22 Tests. On the other hand, India finished third after a historic 3-0 series loss to New Zealand at home, followed by a 3-1 defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, missing out on the final.
Shubman Gill, who succeeded Rohit as captain will lead a new-look India without star batsmen Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharmain a bid to end their 18-year winning drought in Test series against England.
Meanwhile, England, under Ben Stokes, have already named their XI for the curtain raiser. Chris Woakes, Josh Tongue, and Brydon Carse will handle the pace duties, while Shoaib Bashir will play as the lone spinner. Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett will open, with Joe Root and Ollie Pope in the top four. Notably, four English players, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Carse, and Tongue, will be playing against India for the first time.
For India, the absence of stalwarts like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin, who recently retired from Test cricket, marks a transitional phase. Shubman Gill, who was recently announced as the captain, with Rishabh Pant as his deputy, will lead a relatively young team. Middle-order batter Karun Nair, who has been named in the squad after his heroics in domestic cricket, is set to make a return in the XI after a gap of eight years. Furthermore, Sai Sudharsan, who impressed the selectors with his white-ball abilities, is expected to make his Test debut. The side has added Harshit Rana from the ‘A’ squad for the Leeds Test as of now.
The Headingley pitch in Leeds is expected to provide a fair contest between bat and ball for the first Test. While historically, it has been a bowler-friendly venue with seam and bounce. However, chief curator Richard Robinson has prepared a wicket that could flatten out as the match progresses. Ahead of the Test, he revealed that the pitch is set to allow a full five-day game with first-innings scores around 300. Notably, it is expected to be sunny and warm for the first three days, with temperatures hovering around 29°C, with a slight chance of rain on the final two days.
