India vs England 2025: Coach Brendon McCullum names THIS star cricketer as new 'leader' in team, he is Virat Kohli's teammate, his name is…
RCB all-rounder Jacob Bethell is getting ready to face India in five-match Test series. (Photo: IANS)
England will begin five-match Test series against Team India for 'Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy' next week from June 20 onwards at Headingley in Leeds. The first Test will see the return of young all-rounder Jacob Bethell to the England Test team after missing the one-off Test against Zimbabwe last month.
England head coach Brendon McCullum has dubbed Bethell as one of the 'leader' in the side which will be captained by all-rounder Ben Stokes. Bethell was bought for Rs 2.6 crore by IPL 2025 champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the IPL 2025 mega auction last year.
He is only 21 years of age will be among players to watch as a new-look English squad begin their ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle 2025-27 against India, who are themselves transitioning from retirements of star cricketers like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma from Tests and Ravichandran Ashwin in international cricket.
The RCB all-rounder impressed during the white-ball series against West Indies, scoring knocks of 82 and 17 in ODIs, while playing quickfire cameos of 23 not out, 26 and 36 not out during T20Is. He also picked two wickets in the ODI series and four in T20Is, sealing his reputation as a solid all-round package. In three Tests, Bethell is already averaging 52 with 3 fifties to his name including a best of 96.
Jacob Bethell. En fuego 🔥 pic.twitter.com/gSiWfseqxh
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) May 29, 2025
Speaking to Sky Sports, McCullum said about Bethell, 'Bethell has a good life in front of him. For a 21-year-old, he's got a real poise, and that allows him to go out there and be present and show off his flair and talent.
'The world is his oyster. He is already becoming a leader in the dressing room which is what you want,' he continued.
The England head coach also said that the pair of Jamie Smith and Ben Duckett in the white-ball, reminds him of the opening pair of Zak Crawley and Duckett in Tests. 'We know how good Duckett is, but the power that Smith possesses is amazing. These guys are fearless, and if you add the craft, then you hope you end up with a rounded player,' he concluded.
Jamie Smith played as an opener during the white-ball series against England, scoring 37, 0 and 64 in ODIs, while he played knocks of 38, 4 and 60 in T20Is. On the other hand, Duckett made scores of 58, 0 and 60 in ODIs while he had knocks of 1, 30 and 84 in T20Is.
The series will take place from June to August, with matches at Headingley (Leeds), Edgbaston (Birmingham), Lord's (London), Old Trafford (Manchester), and The Oval (London).
Jamie Overton has been handed a surprise recall to England's squad for the first Test against India after his Surrey team-mate Gus Atkinson was ruled out with a hamstring strain injury.
Jacob Bethell, who partnered Virat Kohli as opener in RCB in Phil Salt's absence, has returned to the squad, while Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse are both back after missing England's win over Zimbabwe with niggles. England's squad has changed significantly since their 4-1 series defeat in India last year.
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