ENG vs IND Dream11 Prediction, Fantasy Cricket Tips, Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Updates for 1st Test

The first Test of India’s tour of England will start on Friday, June 20, at Headingley in Leeds. This series also marks the beginning of the new ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle for both teams. In the last WTC cycle, England finished fifth with 11 wins in 22 matches. India came third after a disappointing 3-0 loss to New Zealand at home and a 3-1 defeat to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, missing out on the final.

England, led by Ben Stokes, have already announced their playing XI for the first Test. Chris Woakes, Josh Tongue, and Brydon Carse will lead the fast bowling attack, while Shoaib Bashir will be the only spinner. Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett will open the batting, with Joe Root and Ollie Pope in the top four. Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Carse, and Tongue will be facing India in Tests for the first time. For India, this series marks a new beginning as senior players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin have retired from Test cricket. Shubman Gill has been named captain, with Rishabh Pant as his deputy.

Middle-order batter Karun Nair, who has been recalled after strong performances in domestic cricket, is likely to return to the XI after eight years. Also, Sai Sudharsan, known for his good form in white-ball cricket, is expected to make his Test debut. Fast bowler Harshit Rana has been added to the squad for the Leeds Test.