Updates:
The toss at the Headingley, Leeds went in favour of Ben Stokes, who opted to bowl first. Shubman Gill announced Test debut for B Sai Sudharsan, while Shardul Thakur has got the nod ahead of Nitish Kumar Reddy as an all-rounder.
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes(c), Jamie Smith(w), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir.
Preview:
Team India and England will begin their 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle as they lock horns in the first of the five-Test series at the Headingley in Leeds, beginning on June 20. It will be a significant moment for Shubman Gill, who will play his first Test as the captain as the tourists begin a new era.
Gill, who made his Test debut in 2020 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), will step inside the Headingley, Leeds for the first time as captain in his red-ball international career. With Virat Kohli retiring from the format, the 25-year-old is all set to bat at number four. Karun Nair could also make his return to the Test side after seven years in the wilderness, while the bowling attack's leader will arguably be Jasprit Bumrah.
England, meanwhile, have already confirmed their playing eleven. The hosts have welcomed back Chris Woakes into their ranks, with the Warwickshire seamer being the most experienced seamer in James Anderson and Stuart Broad's absence. Meanwhile, they have preferred Ollie Pope to Jacob Bethell at number three.
ENG vs IND 1st Test squads:
England squad for 1st Test: Ben Stokes (C), Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Zak Crawley, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, Chris Woakes, Ollie Pope (WK), Jamie Smith (WK), Samuel James Cook, Brydon Carse, Shoaib Bashir, Josh Tongue and Jamie Overton.
Team India 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.
