Eng vs Ind 1st Test: India begin a new chapter, check head-to-head record, Headingley pitch report, live streaming and more

India will begin World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 campaign with the first of the five Test matches against England at Headingley, Leeds on Friday. This will mark a fresh chapter in Indian cricket with Shubman Gill leading as captain following the Test retirements of greats Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin.

With the team in transition, team India vice-captain Rishabh Pant on Wednesday confirmed that he will continue to bat at no.5 in the upcoming five-match Test series against England, while captain Shubman Gill will take Virat Kohli's place at no. 4.

Post Kohli's retirement last month, there were speculations on who would would fill the massive shoes at the position. It has been a spot held by of bearing the responsibility of playing at number four, a spot that belonged to the legendary Sachin Tendulkar before Kohli.

"I think there is still discussion going on, who's going to play three, but definitely four and five are fixed. I think Shubman is going to bat at number four, and I am going to stick to number five as of now, and the rest, we are going to keep on discussing that," Pant said during a press conference on Wednesday.

The bowling department will be led by Jasprit Bumrah, with Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur for support. The spin department would be handled by experieced Ravindra Jadeja. Kuldeep Yadav might get a spot in place of one of the pacers.

The Ben Stokes-led England have already announced the playing 11. The team is without key bowlers such as Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson and Jofra Archer. Their batting, however, is a well settled unit.

When and where will Eng vs Ind 1st Test match take place?

The first Test match between England and India will be played at Headingley in Leeds from June 20 to 24 and the match will start at 3:30 pm IST. The toss has been scheduled at 3:00 pm.

Where to watch Eng vs Ind 1st Test Live Streaming in India?

The England vs India 1st Test will be streamed live on the JioHotstar app and website.

Where to watch Eng vs Ind 1st Test Live Telecast on TV in India?

Fans can watch the England vs India 1st Test live telecast on the Sony Sports Network

Eng vs Ind: Head-to-head record in Tests:

• Total Matches: 136
• India won: 35
• England won: 51
• Draw: 50
• Tied: 0

Eng vs Ind: Head-to-head record in Tests in England:

• Total Matches: 67
• India won: 9
• England won: 36
• Draw: 22
• Tied: 0

Eng vs Ind 1st Test Leeds: Weather report

The weather in Leeds is quite cold during these months. However, it is expected to be bright and sunny for the first three days of the Test, with the maximum temperature rising to as high as 29 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, the maximum temperature will drop to 23 degrees for the last two days of the Test, with slight rain forecast as well.

Eng vs Ind 1st Test: Headingley pitch report:

Headingley is one of the oldest cricket grounds in the world. Historically, it has historically been favourable for batting. Spinners stay in the hunt in the latter half of the Test. If the condition (weather) is conducive, the pacers can also be lethal on this surface.

Eng vs Ind 1st Test: Predicted playing XI:

India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc & wk), Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna.

England (announced): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wk), Ben Stokes (c), Chris Woakes, Josh Tongue, Brydon Carse, Shoaib Bashir.