IND vs ENG 1st Test: India and England are all set to take on each other in a much-awaited five-match Test series, starting on June 20. This series can make or break the chances of these teams for the final of the World Test Championship 2025-27. These sides will square off at Headingley, Leeds, in the first Test, starting at 3:30 PM IST.
Just ahead of the first test, the hosts have announced their playing XI. England have announced a strong playing XI led by Ben Stokes for the IND vs ENG 1st Test. The opening pair will be Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley.
Ollie Pope will be batting at no. 3, followed by Joe Root, who has been in exceptional form and is the leading scorer in WTC history. Harry Brook will bat at his usual position at no. 5, followed by Captain Stokes at no. 6.
Jamie Smith has retained his position as the wicketkeeper, and Chris Woakes will be the seaming all-rounder in the team. Woakes will also lead the pace bowling attack of England. Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue are the other two pacers, while Shoaib Bashir is the lone spinner in the squad.
IND vs ENG 1st Test: England announced four specialist bowlers for the Leeds test
The one missing name is star all-rounder Jacob Bethell, who has been a regular face for England across formats. But he has to sit out, and Pope has kept his place. But surprisingly, England have gone with four specialist bowlers and Ben Stokes.
That suggests that the English captain is likely to bowl consistently for the first game. This is the start of the new WTC cycle for both teams, and they will be looking to start it with a win and qualify for the final. India have a bigger challenge as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have retired.
Shubman Gill has the responsibility of leading the Test side. The Indian batting order is likely to be different from what it used to be in the last few years. It will be interesting to see how the Indian team respond to the challenge put in front of them.
England’s XI for IND vs ENG 1st Test
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (Captain), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, and Shoaib Bashir