ENG vs IND 2025 1st Test: Toss result and playing 11s, umpires list and pitch report
India and England are taking on each other at Headingley in Leeds in the first Test of the five-match series. Having failed to qualify for the final of 2025 World Test Championship (WTC), both teams are now focusing their complete attention on the 2025-27 WTC cycle.
The visitors have arrived in England for a grueling series with a fresh-looking squad. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have retired from Test cricket, while Ravichandran Ashwin quit international cricket midway through the Australia tour last year. Shubman Gill has been named captain and Rishabh Pant vice-captain as India's Test team heads into a transition phase.
As for England, they named their playing XI on the eve of the Leeds Test, which has been the norm with the hosts in recent times. Bowling all-rounder Chris Woakes finds a place in the playing XI, while Ollie Pope has retained his No. 3 spot. Off spinner Shoaib Bashir has been picked as the slow bowling option.
ENG vs IND 2025 1st Test - Toss result
England have won the toss and have opted to bowl first. Ben Stokes said:
"Headingley is generally a very good cricket wicket. Hopefully, we can get something out of the conditions early on.”
For India, Sai Sudharsan is making his Test debut, while Shardul Thakur and Karun Nair find a place in the playing XI.
ENG vs IND 2025 1st Test - Match playing XIs
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (w), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Shoaib Bashir, Josh Tongue
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (w), Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
ENG vs IND 2025 1st Test - Pitch report
“A decade or so ago, if you come and see these conditions, you'd definitely bat first. In the last few years, though, the pitch has gotten better and better. There is a green tinge to it - slightly dry but it looks a good pitch. Bowl the 5-7 meter length to get wickets.” - Nasser Hussain
ENG vs IND 2025 1st Test - Match players list
England squad: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Samuel James Cook
India squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Harshit Rana
ENG vs IND 2025 1st Test - Match umpires
On-field umpires: Chris Gaffaney, Paul Reiffel
TV umpire: Sharfuddoula
Match Referee: Richie Richardson