The new World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 cycle is all set to kick off with the Indian team taking on England. Both sides will take on each other across five Test matches, with the first Test set to begin from June 20. With the series looming around the horizon, both sides will be looking to put in their best performance and hope to get off to a good start to the new WTC cycle.
Ahead of the series, former England cricketer Monty Panesar came forward and talked about how the Indian team could face some tough challenges in the England tour. He predicted that England would dominate India with their ‘Bazball’ style of cricket.
“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,” Panesar told ANI.
Panesar backs Shubman Gill to perform
With the tour of England all set to kick off from June 20, the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) took centre stage and announced star batter Shubman Gill as the new Indian Test skipper. Ahead of the series, Panesar backed Gill to put in his best showing against England in the Test series.
“I think Shubman Gill will be a good captain. He will bat well with responsibility. I think he will bat well with responsibility,” Panesar said. It is worth noting that Shubman Gill has represented the Indian team across 32 Test matches so far, where he has scored 1,893 runs to his name, maintaining an average of 35.05 runs. The 25-year-old will be leading India for the first time in Tests, but he does have experience as a leader, as he is the current captain of Gujarat Titans and recently led the side to the IPL 2025 eliminator.