Leeds, June 20, 2025:
The first Test is underway at Headingley, where England won the toss and elected to bowl under sunny, hazy skies temperatures around 30 °C and minimal rain making it an ideal day for seam bowlers, but if openers settle early it will be a tough run for the bowlers.
Conditions & Strategy:
Pitch conditions suit seam bowling to start: dry, sunny, and offering early swing. However, conditions will ease later, warming up for batsmen .
England, boasting an impressive record at Headingley (6 straight wins batting second since 2017), opted to bowl first capitalizing on stats and seaming conditions.
Team Line-ups:
England XI:
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir.
India XI:
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, (debutant) Sai Sudharsan at No. 3, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
Also Read: IND vs ENG, Leeds Weather LIVE Updates: Will Rain Hinder Shubman Gill’s Captaincy Debut?
Likely Day 1 Score & Outlook:
- Openers’ start: Yashasvi and Rahul will aim for a measured start, focusing on surviving early swing before settling in.
- Projected Score: A competitive Day 1 total around 260–290 is likely depending if India capitalizes on middle overs safely and loses no more than 4 wickets.
- Key contributors: Expect Jaiswal to play positive shots like early boundaries; Rahul’s stability could anchor the run rate. Sudharsan’s technique will be tested early.
- Potential pitfalls: England’s swing attack (Woakes, Carse, Tongue) may strike via early edges or LBWs.
Favorites & Stakes:
England: Slightly favored to win the match, with 4/6 odds backed by solid home form.
India: Facing longer odds for an opening win in England, but their young, hungry side backed by Ben Stokes and Graeme Swann’s warnings not to underestimate them.
Test for Gill: As a new captain, Shubman Gill must navigate toss, team balance, and batting strategy expect early conservative decisions to build momentum.
Expect India to end Day 1 between 260–290 for 4 wickets, with solid starts from Jaiswal and Rahul.
Weather supports whether seamers early, but batting period after lunch likely productive.
England start slight favorites; India needs a composed batting display to apply pressure.
Stay tuned as we track the scoreboard and how both sides respond to early exchanges under Gill’s leadership.
