Updated May 28th 2025, 19:04 IST
Ben Stokes during Pakistan vs England series | Image:
AP
India tour of England: Shubman Gill-led India will travel to England for a five-match Test series after the culmination of the Indian Premier League. The young Indian team will take on Ben Stokes’ experienced English team, who have an aggressive way of playing the longest format of the game. The England series will mark the start of India’s World Test Championship 2027 cycle. India’s Test form has been baffling for quite some time now, and they need to turn things around real quick.
England has always been nothing less than a nightmare for opposition batters. The overcast conditions, the cool climate, and the Dukes darting around all over the place – English conditions test a batter’s patience and skill to its very limit. India, over the past few years, have continued to struggle against the England bowlers on their last few tours, but this time around, the table seems to have turned.
England have switched to an aggressive style of play, popularly known as Bazball, but to be fair, scoring Test runs at the speed of light is not something that will be possible for the English batters on a seaming and swinging English wicket. The first Test match of the series is always a crucial one, and the England And Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will be wary of that.
The first Test match of the series is scheduled to be played at Headingley. The track over there is pace-friendly and has a lot to offer for the bowlers. The ECB will now have to decide on whether they want to have a green top for the opening Test or have a flat track that suits England’s aggressive batting.
After Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s retirement, the Indian team is in dire need of turning their fortunes in Test cricket around. The Indian team lost to Australia on their last Test tour. Australia won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series with a margin of 3-1, which knocked India out of the WTC 2025 Final, and prior to this, they have also lost the home Test series to New Zealand by a margin of 3-0.
Published May 28th 2025, 18:58 IST