India’s reorder begins in Leeds, where order rarely holds

India's Reorder Begins in Leeds, Where Order Rarely Holds

Headingley Stadium, a place where things can quickly veer off plan, reflects something elemental about England's cricket. This week, it promises to bring together the game's current top-ranked batter (Joe Root), bowler (Jasprit Bumrah), and all-rounder (Ravindra Jadeja) to serve up a delicious start of a five-course meal.

The Certainty of Bumrah

In a transitioning Indian team suddenly bereft of experience and star power, Bumrah is the one linchpin with the ability to bend the series to his will. He's a piece even the Bazballers have yet to crack.

The Question of Bravery

Can India be braver than England were last year, or than they themselves were more recently in Australia? Brave enough to pick attacks that can take 20 wickets.

The Start of a New Cycle

For India, this isn't just the start of a series, it's the start of something bigger. A new team, a new cycle, and even a new trophy, named after Anderson and Sachin Tendulkar, two giants of the modern game.

Match Details

• When: England vs India, 1st Test, June 20-24 2025, 15:30 IST, 11:00 Local
• What to Expect: The surface wears a greenish tinge on the eve of the Test but is expected to ease out after offering some help early. Hot and sunny weather is predicted for the Test.
• Playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir
• Probable XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Reddy/Sai Sudharsan, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

Interesting Facts

• India was bundled out for 78 in their first innings, their third-lowest total in England, in their last match here.
• Bumrah needs five wickets to become the first Indian bowler to take 150 wickets in SENA countries.
• Joe Root has 2846 runs at 58.08 and 10 hundreds against India. No one has scored more runs vs India in Tests.