India V/S England: England wins the toss and decides to bowl; S Sudharshan to make his test debut
The first Test of the five-match series between Team India and England takes place at Headingley on Friday.
Aadrika Tayal 
New Delhi (India) June 20: England and India's five-Test series which begins at Headingley on June 20, is a turning point for both sides but especially for India, who enters the longest format without three of their all-time greats: Ravichandran Ashwin, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
In the opening Test of the 'Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy' at Headingley, Leeds, England captain Ben Stokes chose to bowl against India after winning the toss. Shubman Gill is named captain of Team India. For both countries, it also marks the beginning of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025–2027 cycle.
The first Test match will see both India and England players wear black armbands in remembrance of the Ahmedabad air tragedy victims from last week. More than 250 people were killed when an Air India plane that was supposed to take off from Ahmedabad, Gujarat and land at Gatwick, London, crashed seconds after takeoff. There will also be a one-minute silence.
In the longest format.
India's batting lineup appears young and inexperienced. Sai Sudharsan will make his debut at No. 3. KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal will probably open.
Karun Nair is a strong contender at No. 6 due to his form. Gill and Pant will try to keep the middle order together. However, India's pace attack, led by Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna is their greatest weapon.
In the longest format, Team India has faced England 136 times. India has won 35 Test matches and lost 51 times. However, India won their most recent Test series 4-1 at home.
The two teams have faced off in 67 Test matches in England, with England winning 36 of them. India has won nine. India last won a test series in England in 2007.
England’s Playing XI includes Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue and Shoaib Bashir.
India’s Playing XI includes Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (wk), Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna.
Aadrika Tayal
