Headingley, June 18 (IANS) The stage is set for one of the most eagerly anticipated contests in modern Test cricket as India take on England in the first Test of the five-match series at Headingley, Leeds, from June 20. Despite the name change from the Pataudi Trophy, the rivalry remains as intense as ever, steeped in history, fuelled by recent drama, and shaped by evolving identities.
India arrived in England with a point to prove. Despite being the most dominant side in white-ball cricket in recent times, their Test fortunes have dipped significantly. The 3-0 whitewash at home against New Zealand in early 2024, followed by a 3-1 series defeat in Australia, has pushed them down the rankings.
This series offers them a chance to reset, but they will do so with a team in transition, most notably, under the captaincy of Shubman Gill. With veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli absent from the squad, as well as the legendary R. Ashwin, India will field a younger, less experienced side, with K.L. Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja offering the spine of continuity and resilience.
To fill the No. 4 position, Karun Nair is most likely to take over. During a press conference to announce the Test squad, chief selector Ajit Agarkar cited Nair’s strong domestic performances and familiarity with English conditions as key reasons for his selection. Nair played 10 County Championship matches across two seasons (2023-2024) for Northamptonshire, scoring 736 runs at 56.61.
His return follows a mountain of runs for Vidarbha in the 2024-25 season, including 863 runs at 53.93 in a title-winning Ranji Trophy campaign. Prior to that, Nair had an impressive 50-over season, hitting five hundreds in eight innings at an average of 389.50 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
England, on the other hand, have built a formidable reputation under the Bazball philosophy since June 2022, winning eight out of their last 12 Test series. They are the undisputed pioneers of aggressive Test cricket in the modern era, having redefined tempo and intent.
However, while their batting continues to flourish, there are significant concerns about their bowling unit, especially following the retirement of James Anderson and Stuart Broad. With injury setbacks to Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, and Olly Stone, the hosts are forced to rely on a relatively inexperienced pace attack featuring Brydon Carse and Chris Woakes to lead the line.
While Woakes brings experience and excellent home conditions numbers, Carse has made a strong impression since debuting against Pakistan, with 27 wickets at under 20 in five Tests.
The contest at Leeds could well be defined by how India’s batting lineup copes with England’s restructured attack. KL Rahul, who notched a memorable century at Lord’s in 2021 and has been in commanding form against England Lions in the lead-up, will be pivotal.
Likely to open with Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rahul brings both experience and adaptability. Rahul’s head-to-head with Woakes is an interesting subplot — he’s only fallen once to the seamer in four innings but has scored just 34 runs in that span, suggesting a tense duel in the early overs.
The other key match-up at the top involves Shubman Gill, who has a strong record against young spinner Shoaib Bashir. If Gill can settle into his probable No. 4 role, he could lend calm to an untested middle-order.
This middle-order, missing the gravitas of Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara, will face a stern challenge from England’s bowlers. Though lacking in star power, the English attack will test the visitors with relentless lines, backed by the in-your-face philosophy that has become Bazball’s trademark.
India will look to Jadeja’s experience and Gill’s flair to steer them through England’s middle-over onslaughts. Much of India’s challenge will hinge on withstanding the new ball — if Rahul and Jaiswal can provide stability, the likes of Gill and Karun Nair could capitalise later.
For England, the backbone of their challenge lies in the form of their top-order firepower, but with the ball, they will hope Woakes continues his home dominance and Carse can replicate his early Test success under the pressure of a marquee series. Shoaib Bashir will look to exploit the rough and hold one end, especially if the pitch begins to offer anything in the second half of the Test.
India’s squad: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana.
England squad: Ben Stokes (c), Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes
–IANS
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