Leeds, England:
As England and India gear up for the much-anticipated first Test at Headingley starting June 20, all eyes are on team selections, weather conditions, and key player battles. With both sides entering a new era England without Anderson and India without Kohli and Rohit the stage is set for a thrilling contest.
Here are the top 10 updates you need to know before the first ball is bowled in Leeds:
1. Weather Outlook:
Friday (Day 1): Sunny and very warm (30 °C) with excellent conditions for play.
Saturday (Day 2): Still warm but clouds may bring late-afternoon showers.
Sunday and beyond: Cooler, more cloud cover with on-and-off rain expected.
2. Pitch Conditions:
Early green turf was laid and will likely aid seam and swing bowling to start.
Curators aim for a balanced five-day Test with a 300-run first innings expected before the pitch flattens.
Another important fact about pitch selection is that in any cricket match, it is the host team that decides the type of pitch they want to prepare and play on.
In the image above, it was seen that the English captain Ben Stokes, coach Brendon McCullum and England chief selector Rob Key were having a discussion with pitch curator and ground staff about the pitch conditions in Headingley, Leeds.
3. England’s Confirmed XI:
Batting Unit: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Jamie Smith (wk).
Bowling Attack: Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue (pace) and Shoaib Bashir (spin).
4. Ollie Pope Retained at No. 3
Pope gets the gig at No. 3 over Jacob Bethell, following a 171-run knock against Zimbabwe and Bethell’s IPL-related commitments.
5. Inglorious Test Debut Pace:
Brydon Carse is fit and available after recovering from a toe infection nearly requiring amputation.
Woakes returns from an ankle injury.
No Anderson/Broad; England rely on less-experienced seamers.
6. Stuart Broad’s Concerns
Broad warns England face a sizable challenge in taking 20 wickets given current injury-hit and inexperienced bowling options.
7. India’s Probable XI Details
Captain: Shubman Gill; Vice-captain/wicketkeeper: Rishabh Pant.
Likely XI includes Bumrah, Jadeja, Pant, KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel/Karun Nair.
Kuldeep Yadav omitted; Sai Sudharsan and Harshit Rana called into the squad.
8. Karun Nair Injury Scare
🚨 #KarunNair got hit by @prasidh43 at the nets in Headingley.
Nothing serious as there laughs after a small medical attention.@RohanDC98 📸 #ENGvsIND pic.twitter.com/aVIJpnapV5
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) June 18, 2025
Nair, returning after an eight-year Test drought, took a hit on the ribs during nets. He continued batting, suggesting only a minor knock.
9. India’s Batting Transition
With Kohli and Rohit retired, KL Rahul and Gill will shoulder the senior roles; Pant clarified the positions at Nos 4–5 .
10. Series & Broadcast Info
The Test opens daily at 11 am BST (3:30 pm IST), spanning five days.
Coverage: Sky Sports (UK) and talkSPORT Cricket’s YouTube for global audio.
India:
Sony Sports Ten 5/5 HD holds the main linear TV rights .
Additionally, Sports18 1 (SD/HD) and Colors Cineplex may offer supplementary coverage, especially in multiple Indian languages .
JioHotstar (JioStar) is the exclusive OTT streaming partner available on JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar platforms .
JioCinema offers multi-language commentary (English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bhojpuri, Punjabi) and up to 4K streaming quality .
Also Read: “No Fear” – Ben Stokes on Facing Jasprit Bumrah!
What It All Means
Early bowling advantage: Overcast and green conditions may help bowlers both Siem and swing specialists could thrive.
Batting intent vital: England’s bazball requires strong starts Pope and openers need to deliver.
India’s new look: Fresh XI, debutants, and reduced spin might shift balance.
Weather threat: Saturday showers may trim a session, but overall play looks promising.
Headingley promises a compelling Test: warm weather, a pitch crafted for balance, aggressive tactics and fresh talent all collide. Both sides face selection dilemmas and form tests but it’s the execution from Day 1 that will count most. Let the Test cricket duel commence!
