Preparations at Beckenham done, headshots completed; India all set for first Test against England in Leeds

ANI June 17, 2025 461 views

The Indian cricket team has wrapped up their preparations in Beckenham with an intra-squad match and an energetic photoshoot. They now head to Leeds for the first Test against England, marking the start of the WTC 2025-27 cycle. England, unbeaten at home under Stokes and McCullum, will be a tough opponent. India enters the series without retired stars Kohli, Rohit, and Ashwin, relying on a younger squad.

"The five challenging Tests will mark the commencement of their campaign in the World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle and a new era in Indian cricket." – BCCI
London, June 17: The Indian team concluded preparations in Beckenham, posed in front of the cameras for the official shoot, and is now bound to leave for Leeds for the opening Test of the highly anticipated series against England, scheduled to begin on June 20 at Headingley.

Key Points

1

India concludes intra-squad match in Beckenham

2

Team poses for official photoshoot ahead of Leeds Test

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England unbeaten at home under McCullum-Stokes

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India faces challenge without Kohli, Rohit, and Ashwin

On Tuesday, the BCCI took to X and shared a video of Indian players posing in front of the camera for the official photoshoot, which was filled with banter, smiles and laughter.

Jasprit Bumrah pointed towards India's logo, vice-captain Rishabh Pant wittily smiled, and young Nitish Kumar Reddy raised his bat and wore a beaming smile. Seasoned all-rounder Shardul Thakur had an intense look, Sai Sudharsan invoked laughter, and KL Rahul and Washington Sundar posed animatedly.

https://x.com/BCCI/status/1934823318940733803

Before heading to Leeds, India bolstered its preparations at Beckenham and hosted an intra-squad match to fine-tune the tactical aspect of the game. The five challenging Tests will mark the commencement of their campaign in the World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle and a new era in Indian cricket.

India will enter a territory where they last marshalled a Test series triumph in 2007. Even though India's fortune hasn't changed in England, the Three Lions have transformed into a formidable force under the tutelage of head coach Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes' captaincy. The dynamic duo has not lost a Test series at home since McCullum took over the managerial duties in 2022.

The fourth-ranked Test team will line up without its batting bigwigs Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who bid adieu to the Test format last month. Along with the batting wizards, India won't have the presence of its frontline crafty off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who retired from international cricket midway through the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

India's Test squad for England series: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.

England squad for first Test vs India: Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Ben Stokes (capt), Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes.

Reader Comments

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Rahul K.
Exciting times ahead! The young team looks confident in those photos. Hope they can recreate the magic of 2007. Bumrah's leadership will be crucial against England's aggressive batting lineup. #WhistlePodu 🏏
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Priya M.
Missing Virat and Rohit's experience in these conditions, but this is a great opportunity for Gill and Jaiswal to step up. England's Bazball approach will be tough to counter - our bowlers need to be disciplined with line/length.
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Arjun S.
That photo session looks so wholesome! 😊 Pant's energy is infectious. Hope he brings his A-game to England this time. The real test will be facing Anderson & Broad in swinging conditions - our batsmen need to show patience.
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Sneha R.
Concerned about our middle order without Kohli. Rahul needs to take responsibility as senior batter. On positive side, our pace attack looks lethal - Bumrah, Siraj and Arshdeep can trouble England if pitch has bounce.
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Vikram J.
Why no experienced spinner like Ashwin? Jadeja alone can't handle English conditions. Team selection seems biased towards pace - we might regret this when pitch starts turning later in series. Still, Jai Hind! 🇮🇳
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Neha P.
So proud to see Nitish Reddy in the squad! Telugu boy making waves 💙 Hope he gets a chance to show his all-round skills. This series will be make-or-break for many young players. Best of luck Team India!

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Tags:
India vs England Test BCCI Shubman Gill Rishabh Pant Ben Stokes Brendon McCullum Headingley