At Headingley, Leeds, England Test captain Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to bowl first against India in the opening Test of the five-match Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series. The match marks the beginning of a new era for Indian Test cricket, with the team stepping out without its long-time batting pillars—Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma—as well as senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. Shubman Gill, leading India in Tests for the first time, will aim to rewrite history by guiding the team to a series win in England—their first since 2007 and first Test victory at Headingley since 2002.
Stokes' decision to bowl first was influenced by several factors. The Headingley pitch has a green tinge, and the weather forecast predicted sunny and humid conditions for the first two days. Experts suggested that the pitch would favor seam and swing bowlers, especially in the first two days, and that overcast conditions could further enhance movement off the seam. The last six Test winners in Leeds bowled first. Stokes clearly hoped to exploit these conditions with his pace attack.
The England team for the first Test includes Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (C), Jamie Smith (WK), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, and Shoaib Bashir. England's strategy clearly revolves around depth and rotation, and with a five-Test series ahead, early rest and rotation will be crucial. The inclusion of Brydon Carse and Chris Woakes bolsters the pace attack.
India's playing XI sees Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (WK), Karun Nair, KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna. India has chosen to debut top-order batter Sai Sudharsan and give middle-order bat Karun Nair his first test in eight years. Shardul Thakur, who hasn't played a test since December 2023, was preferred to Nitish Kumar Reddy as the fast-bowling all-rounder, and Prasidh Krishna headed off uncapped Arshdeep Singh as the third seamer.
The Headingley surface traditionally offers a balanced contest between bat and ball, providing good pace and bounce early on, which assists the fast bowlers, especially under overcast conditions. As the match progresses, the pitch tends to flatten out, making batting easier during the middle days. With some cloud cover and breezy spells forecast for later in the Test, seamers could find movement off the surface, particularly in the mornings. Spinners might come into play later in the match as footmarks develop.
The weather forecast for the Test is a mix of warm spells and intermittent clouds. Day 1 is expected to be warm and dry, with temperatures reaching 31°C. Day 2 might see rain interruptions, with showers predicted in the afternoon and a 60% chance of precipitation.
This series marks the beginning of the 2025–2027 World Test Championship cycle. India has not won a Test series in England since 2007. England have the edge with 51 wins, while India have 35, and 50 have ended in draws in the 136 Tests played between these two giants.
Both teams will wear black armbands on Day 1 of the Test match as a mark of respect for those who lost their lives in the Air India plane crash last week in Ahmedabad. A moment's silence will be observed prior to the respective national anthems.
