England vs India 1st Test at Headingley – A New Era Begins with the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy

📅 Date: June 20–24, 2025
🏟 Venue: Headingley, Leeds
🕒 Time: 3:30 PM IST | 11:00 AM Local
🏆 Series: 5-Match Test Series for the newly minted Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy

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🧭 The Backdrop: A Historic Venue for a Historic Beginning

Headingley isn’t just a stadium—it's a time capsule of English cricket. From the ghost of Botham’s Ashes to Stokes’ miracle, and now the spirit of a new trophy—the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy—the 1st Test kicks off what promises to be a compelling summer of cricket.

✍️ As Rahul Dravid beautifully put it:

“For India, this isn't just the start of a series, it's the start of something bigger. A new team, a new cycle…”

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🧵 Storylines to Watch:

🧨 Bazball vs Bumrah:

Can England’s ultra-aggressive “Bazball” approach stand tall against the world’s top-ranked bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, who is just 5 wickets away from becoming the first Indian to 150 wickets in SENA countries?

🧒 India’s Gen-Z Reset:

With Shubman Gill taking over as captain and the return of Karun Nair after 8 years, India is fielding a refreshed squad, full of youth and ambition.

🦁 English Experiment:

No Anderson or Broad. Instead, Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue take the new ball in a relatively inexperienced but fiery England pace setup, backed by the evergreen Chris Woakes.

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🧑‍✈️ Confirmed Playing XIs

🏴 England XI:

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

🇮🇳 India (Probable XI):

Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Reddy, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

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🌦️ Pitch & Conditions

The Headingley surface shows a greenish tinge, offering movement early. With hot and sunny weather forecasted for the entire Test, expect it to flatten out into a batter-friendly pitch by Day 2 or 3.

🧪 Toss:

Teams are likely to bowl first, considering recent county games followed this successful strategy.

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🧠 Key Stats & Records

• India’s Previous at Headingley:

  • 78 all out in 2021 (3rd lowest in England)

  • 628 in 2002 (2nd highest in England)

• Joe Root vs India:

  • 2846 runs, avg 58.08, 10 centuries – most by any player against India

  • But dismissed 9 times by Bumrah

• Bumrah Watch:

  • 145 wickets in SENA countries

  • Needs 5 more to surpass Wasim Akram’s 146 (most by any Asian pacer)

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🗣️ What They Said

🗨️ Shubman Gill (India captain):

“Last year’s 4-1 loss doesn’t reflect how competitive that series was. We fought hard with a young team. This time, we are hungrier and braver.”

🗨️ Ben Stokes (England captain):

“Chris Woakes has never lost a game under me and Baz. He’s relentless with the ball and offers balance with the bat. He’ll lead the attack.”

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🔭 Players to Watch

🇮🇳 India	🏴 England
Jasprit Bumrah – lethal early swing	Joe Root – rock in the middle order
Rishabh Pant – comeback king	Chris Woakes – x-factor in home conditions
Shubman Gill – new captain’s test	Jamie Smith – gloves & aggression
Ravindra Jadeja – balance master	Ben Stokes – leadership & clutch plays

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🏏 Final Thoughts

This isn’t just a match. It’s a chapter opener in modern Test cricket's new narrative: aggression vs control, legacy vs experimentation, and youth vs experience. With Root, Bumrah, and Jadeja all ranked No. 1 in their roles, fans are in for a cricketing treat.

The Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy begins with not just pride on the line, but the future direction of two great Test teams.

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💬 Who’s your pick to shine at Headingley?