"India will collapse" - Former cricketer's massive claim ahead of ENG vs IND 2025 Tests
Former England cricketer Monty Panesar believes Team India will face a stiff challenge against the Englishmen during their five-match Test series, which begins at Headingley, Leeds, on June 20. Panesar made the remarks as the young brigade under Shubman Gill will miss Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's experience. The two veterans announced their retirements from the red-ball format last month.
The cricketer-turned-commentator reckons that England will likely dominate the series with their aggressive 'Bazball' approach. Unlike India, the hosts have a lot of experience on their side, as the two teams are set to begin the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
Monty Panesar told ANI (via India Today):
“England will benefit from the fact that Virat and Rohit are not playing. Their experience could have been used for India. But they are inexperienced. What happens with inexperience?... How will India play against England? We know how England can play. It's possible that India will collapse.”
“He will bat well with responsibility” – Monty Panesar backs Indian captain to deliver with the bat in Tests
In the same interview, Monty Panesar backed Shubman Gill’s leadership skills, saying that the 25-year-old is likely to succeed with the bat as he will have more responsibility in the Test series. He said:
“I think Shubman Gill will be a good captain. He will bat well with responsibility. I think he will bat well with responsibility.”
Gill, who will lead India for the first time in Tests, recently guided his IPL franchise, the Gujarat Titans (GT), to the playoffs, though they lost to the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Eliminator. As a skipper, he has 14 wins in 27 IPL games, but it will be a completely different ball game in Tests.
Gill’s batting has improved ever since he became captain in the IPL, amassing 426 (12 innings) and 650 runs (15 innings) in the 2024 and 2025 editions of the tournament.
As a Test batter, Gill has amassed 1893 runs in 59 innings, averaging 35.05 with the help of five tons and seven half-centuries. In away games, he has 649 runs in 24 innings at an average of 29.50, comprising one ton and two fifties. The right-hander managed 93 runs in five innings during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under. He has 88 runs across six innings in England at a poor average of 14.66.