Source- BCCI
India will play five Test matches against the host England in a series starting on 20th June 2025. India has a lot of new faces in the squad that is touring England. The team is led by Shubman Gill, and Rishabh Pant is the vice-captain. The team is playing without Virat Kohli, Ravi Ashwin and Rohit Sharma after a long time.
India Begins The New World Test Championship Cycle
India will begin their WTC cycle tomorrow with a new team and not a great record in England. India won a Test Series in England way back in 2007. The young team with a new captain will have an uphill task to adjust to the conditions quickly and play to their potential.
Team India Has Been Struggling In Test Cricket Recently
Indian team performance has not been great in the recent test series, as New Zealand defeated India 3-0 in a series played in India. Australia also defeated India convincingly by winning the test series 3-1. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli failed in both series, along with other key players. Only Pant and Jaiswal put up a brave fight in both series.
New Leadership For Team India
The team is new, and so is the captain, and he must be feeling the pressure, too, like his teammates. Gautam Gambhir told bcci.tv, “There are two ways of looking at this tour. One is we are without our three most experienced players, or we have this phenomenal opportunity to do something special for the country.” The team will surely miss the experienced captain because they have faced this kind of situation many times.
Batting Lineup and Bowling Strength
Only K.L. Rahul and Rishabh Pant have a good amount of experience playing Test cricket in England. Others like Sai Sudarshan, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Karun Nair have not played any Test matches in England.
Jaspreet Bumrah is available for only three test matches out of five. Without Bumrah, the bowling attack looks a bit average with the likes of Siraj, Akash Deep, and Arshdeep Singh, who lack the sharpness that Bumrah has. Mohammed Shami is not in the squad as well.
Despite all the odds, a young Indian team can perform well, and the test match is a different ball game altogether. If Indian bowlers and batters can hold their nerves, they can win against any team in the world. With a fresh squad and a new captain at the helm, do you think this young Indian team has what it takes
