ENG vs IND 1st Test: England win toss, opt to bowl; Sai Sudharsan debuts, Karun Nair returns to XI
By Aditya Bhagchandani Published on June 20, 2025, 15:18 IST
England won the toss and elected to bowl first in the opening Test of the World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle against India at Headingley, Leeds. Under cloudy skies and with favourable bowling conditions early on, Ben Stokes chose to make first use of the pitch.
India, led by new Test captain Shubman Gill, made two key inclusions in their playing XI—Sai Sudharsan, who makes his Test debut and will bat at No.3, and Karun Nair, who returns to the side after missing 77 consecutive Tests since 2017.
Gill said he would have bowled first too but expects the conditions to ease out and become better for batting as the day progresses. He also confirmed that India had a productive practice game and the team is feeling confident.
England's XI includes Jamie Smith as wicketkeeper and a pace-heavy attack with Woakes, Carse, Tongue, and Stokes himself, alongside spinner Shoaib Bashir.
This Test marks a new era for India with a refreshed middle order and promising new talent on display.
Ahmedabad Plane Crash
Aditya Bhagchandani serves as the Senior Editor and Writer at Business Upturn, where he leads coverage across the Business, Finance, Corporate, and Stock Market segments. With a keen eye for detail and a commitment to journalistic integrity, he not only contributes insightful articles but also oversees editorial direction for the reporting team.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
India dominate day one as Yashavi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill hit centuries
England gifted India the initiative on day one of the Rothesay Test series at Headingley, where Yashavi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill rose to the occasion with a pair of fine centuries. Ben Stokes sent the tourists in after winning the toss, perhaps hoping to unsettle a batting lineup missing the star power of the recently retired Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, but the gambit merely handed over first use of serene batting conditions. Advertisement Jaiswal led from the front with 101 on his first appearance on English soil, while Gill finished unbeaten on 127 in his maiden knock as Test captain. Kohli and Sharma's golden legacies are sure to linger, but India's future already looks in safe hands. Yashasvi Jaiswal celebrates his century (Danny Lawson/PA) By stumps England were staring at a score of 359 for three, weighed down by a long, draining day in sticky summer heat and a difficult road ahead. Stokes was the pick of the bowlers with two for 43 but Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue struggled to impose themselves in unhelpful conditions. The story was set in motion at 10.30am, Gill calling wrong at the toss and Stokes opting to field. There was a hint of swing from the new ball, shared by the returning Woakes and Carse on home debut, but it quickly became apparent that there were no terrors in the pitch. Advertisement KL Rahul (42) offered a calm head at the top of the order and Jaiswal, well known to England after helping himself to a monstrous series tally of 712 runs when the sides last met in India, shackled his more explosive instincts as he bedded in. Carse hit him with a rib-tickler in the initial burst but when it came to clear chances, England were coming up empty-handed, squandering a review on Jaiswal when they sent Tongue's ambitious lbw appeal upstairs. India were seven minutes away from a wicketless session when Rahul threw his hands at a wide one from Carse to feed Joe Root at slip. That breakthrough brought the Yorkshire crowd alive and their celebrations had barely dipped when they enjoyed a second. Sai Sudharsan's first Test innings brought a four-ball duck, flicking Stokes down leg and into Jamie Smith's gloves just seconds after flirting with an identical dismissal. Advertisement If that double strike smoothed some of the rough edges from England's slow start, the afternoon's play exposed them again. Ollie Pope missed the chance to run out out Gill for just one, sweetening the deal with four overthrows, and Harry Brook parried a low edge into the wicketkeeper's helmet to give up five penalty runs. Jaiswal's first half-century occupied 96 balls and he glided through the gears to get his next 50 in just 48, despite several delays for cramp in his hand. Twice he took three boundaries in an over, first taking aim at the lethargic Woakes and later breezing through the nineties at Carse's expense. Shoaib Bashir brought some control in his 21 overs but there was not enough spin on offer to turn that into real pressure. Ben Stokes' brilliant dismissal of Yashasvi Jaiswal was a brief moment of respite for England (Danny Lawson/PA) It took a burst of inspiration from Stokes to stop the rot, charging in from round the wicket and toppling Jaiswal's off stump having forced one past the outside edge. Advertisement By then Gill had progressed to 63 and had set his sights on a captain's century. He got there with his 14th boundary, a peach of a cover drive off Tongue. It was the sixth hundred of his career but his first outside Asia. The unpredictable Rishabh Pant poured on further pain with 65 not out. Starting his innings by charging Stokes for four down the ground, he settled into an extended spell of defence before springing into life with some big hits in the closing stages. Thumbing his nose at convention, Pant danced down again in the final over of the day to flog Woakes over deep square-leg for six.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
India's Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal make tons to leave England toiling in first Test
India slightly snuck into the country four weeks ago, dribs and drabs getting an 'A' tour underway before the bulk of the first-teamers landed and started playing intra-squad cricket. The delayed finish to the Indian Premier League commanded eyeballs initially, then the World Test Championship final last week. All told, it was a soft launch. Related: England v India: first men's cricket Test, day one – live Advertisement But on the opening day of the summer's marquee series, the tourists announced themselves with a flex of their muscles. Centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal, 101, and Shubman Gill, 127 not out, had driven England to distraction and taken India to 359 for three. Gill's first outing as captain had proved an unqualified success and no one was talking about the absences of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. A chastening start for Ben Stokes and his men, therefore, albeit not unfamiliar territory as regards their initial tormentor. Jaiswal notched up 712 runs against them in India last year – including two double hundreds – and his image was practically burned on to their collective retina by the end. Might his first Test match encounter with the Dukes ball see a change of fortune? The answer, it transpired, was no. But then Jaiswal is a player who likes to make a strong first impression, having compiled a century on debut in the Caribbean, one in his first Test in Australia, and now one on arrival in England. It was some knock, too – the first by an Asian opener at Headingley, no less – as he left diligently, cut ferociously and drove through the covers with panache. Indeed, until Stokes castled him after tea with an inswinger that nipped away, Jaiswal's chief concern was bouts of cramp in his forearms as he cruised into the 90s. Even then, despite a couple of delays with the physio and obvious pain, he moved to 99 with a flurry of fours off Brydon Carse before a pinched single brought up Test century No 5. Advertisement While Jaiswal moved through the gears – 96 balls for his half-century, only 48 more to double it – Gill started fast and then bedded in. And at 5.44pm, as he caressed Josh Tongue through the covers for four, he became the first Indian since Virat Kohli 11 years ago to make a century in his first innings as captain. Gill's celebration, a punch of the air and guttural roar, was in stark contrast to the serenity that got him there. At the other end was his vice-captain, Rishabh Pant, who finished unbeaten on 65. The responsibility of being Gill's new No 2 had dampened none of the mischief, either, Pant dancing down the pitch to Stokes second ball and clobbering him back over his head for four. In the final over, when thoughts might have turned to safety, he summed up the day as a whole by swatting Chris Woakes for six with a jaw-dropping swivel pull. This being Headingley, so often a scene of the absurd and a ground where the past six Tests have been won by the side bowling first, England will refuse to believe they are snookered. By the same token, sticking a team in under clear skies and seeing them lose only three wickets across three sessions was clearly suboptimal. Both captains wanted to bowl first, however, and the modern way – certainly the Stokes and Brendon McCullum way – is not always to do so with an eye on skittling a side cheaply. Against New Zealand at Trent Bridge three years ago, for example, Stokes inserted, saw the tourists rack up 553, and England won by five wickets. India scored 418 at Edgbaston that same summer after being asked to bat first and lost by seven. Advertisement Of greater concern was the fact that Stokes was the best of the quicks on show, not simply his figures of two for 43 from 13 overs but by way of obvious threat. Carse flickered at times, even if his solitary removal of KL Rahul before lunch came via a lazy waft, but Tongue was largely scattergun and Woakes found precious little movement. If there was one relative success among the frontliners it was probably Shoaib Bashir sending down 21 overs with little assistance from the surface and holding his own. With an economy of 3.1 under the overall run-rate of 4.2, the off-spinner had performed a day one role some thought beyond him. Drift was his friend, even if no chances materialised. It had not taken long for the total at stumps to look possible, India dominating the early exchanges and getting to within touching distance of lunch when Rahul's error on 42 opened up an end. The removal of Sai Sudharsan almost immediately, strangled down leg off Stokes for a four-ball duck on debut, might have appeared a bit fortunate when India walked off at 92 for two but there was clearly a plan behind it. This was pretty much the only one that came off for England, however, Jaiswal and Gill putting on 129 for the third wicket in an afternoon of toil for the bowlers. Had Carse not overstepped, Jaiswal would have been lbw 43 when a yorker hit boot and then bat. And had Ollie Pope hit the stumps with a shy from midwicket, Gill would have been run out for one. Ifs and buts count for little, however, and India have unquestionably arrived.
CNET
3 hours ago
- CNET
How to Watch England vs. India From Anywhere for Free: Livestream 1st Test Cricket
Ben Stokes' England get their five-match contest against a new-look India team underway with an intriguing first Test at Headingley today. Below, we'll outline the best live TV streaming services to watch all the action from the 1st Test as it happens, wherever you are in the world. We'll also explain how to use a VPN if the match isn't available where you are, along with a full match list. The hosts will aim to continue India's winless Test series streak on English soil, which dates back to 2007. India, meanwhile, will begin life without Rohit Sharma following the legendary captain's retirement. 25-year-old Shubman Gill, the No. 1 one-day batter in the world, is set to skipper for the first time in an international Test match. The 1st Test between England and India takes place between Friday, June 20, and Tuesday, June 24, at Headingley Cricket Ground in Leeds. The first ball is set to be played at 11 a.m. BST local time in the UK each day, making it a 3:30 p.m. IST start in India. That's 6 a.m. ET or 3 a.m. PT in the US and Canada, while for Australian cricket fans it's an 8 p.m. AEST start. England captain Ben Stokes will be hoping his side can maintain their excellent recent red ball record at Headingley, having won their last five Test matches at the West Yorkshire to watch England vs. India 1st Test online from anywhere using a VPN If you're traveling abroad and want to keep up with all the cricket action while away from home, a VPN can help enhance your privacy and security when streaming. It encrypts your traffic and prevents your internet service provider from throttling your speeds. A VPN can also be helpful when connecting to public Wi-Fi networks while traveling, adding an extra layer of protection for your devices and logins. VPNs are legal in many countries, including the US and Canada, and can be used for legitimate purposes such as improving online privacy and security. However, some streaming services may have policies restricting VPN use to access region-specific content. If you're considering a VPN for streaming, check the platform's terms of service to ensure compliance. If you choose to use a VPN, follow the provider's installation instructions, ensuring you're connected securely and in compliance with applicable laws and service agreements. Some streaming platforms may block access when a VPN is detected, so verifying if your streaming subscription allows VPN use is crucial. James Martin/CNET ExpressVPN Best VPN for streaming Price $13 per month, $100 for the first 15 months (then $117 per year) or $140 for the first 28 months (then $150 per year) Latest Tests No DNS leaks detected, 18% speed loss in 2025 tests Network 3,000 plus servers in 105 countries Jurisdiction British Virgin Islands ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN that works on a variety of devices. It's normally $13 a month, but if you sign up for an annual subscription for $100, you'll get three months free and save 49%. That's the equivalent of $6.67 a month. Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. 61% off with 2yr plan (+4 free months) Livestream England vs. India in the US and Canada This Test series is being broadcast live in North America on cricket-streaming service Willow TV. Livestream the 1st Test in India This Test series is being televised on Sony Sports Ten 1 and Sony Sports Ten 5 linear channels in India, and can be livestreamed via JioHotstar. Watch England vs. India in the UK Live coverage of this summer Test series final is exclusive to Sky Sports in the UK, with all games shown live on its Sky Sports cricket channel. If you already have Sky Sports as part of your TV package, you can stream the tournament via its Sky Go app, but cord-cutters will want to set up a Now account and a Now Sports membership to stream the action. Stream England vs. India for free around the world Scores of countries around the world can watch this Test series live and for free via the International Cricket Council's very own streaming service ICC TV. A full list of which countries can access the free livestream can be found here. Livestream England vs. India in South Africa In South Africa, this Test series is being shown on SuperSport. If you can't watch on your TV, you can also watch via the network's streaming service for PC and Mac, as well as via SuperSport's mobile app. Stream England vs. India in Australia Cricket fans Down Under can watch the action from Headingley on Foxtel as well as its sister streaming service Kayo Sports. Kayo Sports Kayo Sports Watch the England vs. India Test series in Australia for AU$25 A Kayo Sports subscription starts at AU$25 a month and lets you stream on one screen, while its Premium tier costs AU$40 a month for simultaneous viewing on up to three devices. The service gives you access to a wide range of sports, including F1, NRL, NFL, NHL and MLB, and there are no lock-in contracts. Better still, if you're a new customer, you can take advantage of a one-week Kayo Sports free trial. See at Kayo Sports Stream England vs. India in New Zealand Pay TV broadcaster Sky Sport has broadcast rights to show the series live in New Zealand. Quick tips for streaming the England vs. India Test series using a VPN
