India will play a five-match Test series against England, starting June 20 at Headingley, Leeds. This will be the first time since the retirement of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli that India play Test cricket. Shubman Gill has been appointed as the new captain, who has led the national team five times in T20 cricket, winning four. In IPL, Gill has led Gujarat Titans in 27 matches, winning 14.
The Test series will be a massive challenge for the cricketer, who doesn’t have a decent record in England. Gill has played three Test matches in the country, scoring 88 runs at an average of 14.66. Being named the captain, it needs to be seen if Gill feels added pressure and whether or not it affects his batting performance.
Ahead of the marquee series, India played an intra-squad match in Beckingham, where Gill scored a half-century, which is a big positive. Apart from him, senior batter KL Rahul has shown his class in England so far. The 33-year-old has scored a ton and a half-century against England Lions and later, a half-century in the intra-squad match. Shardul Thakur has been highly impressive, scoring a century and also taking multiple wickets.
Following a 3-1 defeat to Australia in the winter, the Indian team will be hoping to bounce back in the England series, but the track record isn’t impressive. Since 1952, the Indian team has played seven Test matches in Headingley, where the first Test will be played, and won only two. They suffered defeat in four matches, while one ended on level terms.
India registered their first win at Headingley in June 1986. The last time they won was in August 2002. The last time India played in the stadium, they suffered an innings and 71 runs defeat in 2021.
| Matches Played | 07 |
| Matches won | 02 |
| Matches lost | 04 |
| Draw | 01 |
| First played | June 05-09, 1952 |
| Last played | August 25-28, 2021 |