IND vs ENG: England name playing XI for first Test against India; Chris Woakes returns
England captain Ben Stokes (Photo by)
England have announced their playing XI for the opening match of the much-anticipated five-Test series against India, starting Friday, June 20, at Headingley in Leeds. The match also marks the beginning of the rebranded Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy, and kicks off the 2025–27 World Test Championship cycle for both sides.
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All-rounder Chris Woakes returns to the Test side for the first time since December, bringing much-needed experience to the English lower order and seam attack. Also making headlines is the inclusion of
Brydon Carse
, who will play his first home Test after five overseas appearances.
England XI for 1st Test vs India
1. Zak Crawley, 2. Ben Duckett, 3. Ollie Pope, 4. Joe Root, 5. Harry Brook, 6. Ben Stokes (capt), 7. Jamie Smith (WK), 8. Chris Woakes, 9. Brydon Carse, 10. Josh Tongue, 11. Shoaib Bashir
The selection underscores England's faith in a balanced attack and a young but dynamic middle order.
With Jamie Smith behind the stumps and Woakes and Carse included, skipper Ben Stokes has multiple bowling options at his disposal.
Nick Knight EXCLUSIVE: On Shubman Gill and absence of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma in England
India, meanwhile, have not won a Test series in England since 2007. Their last tour ended in a 2-2 draw after the postponed 2021 series was wrapped up in 2022. With
Shubman Gill
now leading a side in transition, India's youthful squad is hoping to break the drought.
Whether India can finally overcome the English challenge remains to be seen, but with England's XI set and packed with firepower, the series opener at Headingley promises fireworks.
Game On Season 1 kicks off with Sakshi Malik's inspiring story. Watch Episode 1 here
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