Published on: Jun 19, 2025 3:14 pm IST | Updated on: Jun 19, 2025 2:10 pm IST
The new-look Team India, under the leadership of a young skipper, Shubman Gill, is all set to kick off a new era in red-ball cricket. Shubman Gill and his troops will be going on a collision course against Ben Stokes and his men in a 5-match Test series in England, with the first Test of the series scheduled to be played at Headingley in Leeds from June 20. In this post, we have come up with free expert tips for the 1st ENG vs IND Test at Headingley in Leeds.
Playing at home, England is a side to beat. Ben Stokes & Co. are a formidable side at home, and defeating them in their backyard under overcast conditions is always a challenge for the visiting side. The odds favor England, and so do we. Team India, who is in a transition phase, will find it tricky to tame England in this series. Headingley will pose a challenge for Indian batters, as the overcast conditions will test Indian batters’ skills in the absence of two of India’s stalwart batters, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Therefore, England will go into this contest with the upper hand. Let’s continue with the post and find out the best cricket tips for the ENG vs IND 1st Test at Headingley, Leeds.
ENG: 62% win chance SL: 38% win chance
Joe Root is England's most bankable player, especially in home conditions. Talking about his last 10 Test matches, the prolific right-hander has scored 979 runs at a scintillating average of 61.19.
England's vice captain Harry Brook was the second highest-run getter in the 2023-25 WTC cycle for England. The stylish right-hander has scored 961 runs in the last 10 Test matches for his side at an average of 56.53.
After the retirement of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul is expected to be the next Test opener for India to pair along with Yashasvi Jaiswal. Rahul will be a key figure at the top, especially with his ability to bat for longer durations.
Jasprit Bumrah is the top bowler going around the world. The right-arm pacer has scalped 46 wickets in the last 10 Test matches at a scintillating strike-rate of 73.58. Bumrah is expected to finish the series with the most wickets among the two teams.
Check out our prediction for the ENG vs IND 1st Test at Headingley in Leeds.
Team India is all set to embark on a new era in Test cricket. A lot has transpired in the last two Test series for the Indian team, which they lost mercilessly. After a 3-0 clean sweep at home at the hands of New Zealand, the Indian team lost 3-1 (5-match series) to Australia down under and, in the process, lost a golden opportunity to play their third WTC final on the trot.
More than the Australian series away from home, it was the home series against New Zealand that dented their hopes of making it to the WTC final. That series was an eye-opener for Team India because losing a Test series at home after 12 long years, and that too a whitewash, was simply unacceptable for the fans and for the team itself. Also, one of the most talked-about points of the series was the inability of Indian batters to play spinners in home conditions. 70 percent of the Indian wickets fell to spinners, and this was another eyebrow-raising stat that team India couldn’t avoid.
Two consecutive series defeats in a row led to many repercussions in Indian cricket. When we all thought that these series defeats would help Team India rectify their mistakes, one after the other, sudden retirements of three of Team India’s stalwarts completely sank Team India’s hopes for the future. The series of retirements started with Ravichandran Ashwin midway during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, followed by the out-of-context retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli right on the brink of the Indian squad announcement for the England Test series.
These three names have been loyal servants of the BCCI, and their departure has undoubtedly left a significant void in the team. But as they say, bygones are bygones, and now it’s time for us as fans to move on from the ‘Hitman’ era and embrace the ‘Prince’ era, with Shubman Gill set to don the captain’s hat in the most prolific yet demanding format of this beautiful game.
For three years in a row, despite their much-talked-about ‘Bazball’ approach, the English team has failed to make it to the WTC final even once. Ben Stokes’ captaincy and England’s batting approach have created all the hype in the last 3-4 years, but all this hype hasn’t translated into performance.
The English side has been doing well at home, but away from home, they are just an ordinary side that loves to bat at a brisk pace. Their ‘Bazball’ approach has paid dividends at times but what about their bowling approach? No aggression, no discipline, and above all, lack of experience ever since the departure of the legendary pace duo of Stuart Broad and James Anderson.
Talking about this series, if Team India is playing without Kohli, Rohit, and Ashwin and a fairly inexperienced batting lineup, one shouldn’t forget that England’s bowling attack is under the pump as well. With Chris Woakes being the only senior pro in the bowling department, Ben Stokes and his men have to be on their toes throughout the series, even against an inexperienced and transition-ridden Indian team. England’s pace trio of Chris Woakes, Josh Tongue, and Brydon Carse have to come to the party in the series to support their brisk batting approach. Let’s move ahead and check the cricket tips.
Matches Played: 136 IND won: 35 ENG won: 51 Draw: 50 RECENT form ENGLAND: L W W L W RECENT form INDIA: W L D L L
India and England have a riveting history. Both teams have collided 136 times in the purest form of cricket, wherein India has won 35 and England has the upper hand with 51 wins. 50 matches between the two sides ended in a draw. Talking about their recent meetings, India leads the way by winning 4 of their last 5 encounters. Only one encounter was won by England.
How will the two teams, i.e., England vs India, fare in the 1st Test? Let’s take a look.
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (WK), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan/Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill (c), Karun Nair, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur/Nitish Kumar Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj
Here’s the pitch and weather report for the 1st Test match between England and India at Headingley in Leeds:
With overcast skies and moisture on the surface early on, the Headingley toss becomes crucial. Expect the captain winning the toss to opt for bowling first, aiming to exploit swing-friendly conditions. Historically, teams chasing here have fared better, and it should be a no-brainer for the captain winning the toss to bowl first in overcast conditions.
Where to Watch Today’s Match
The online live streaming of the 1st Test match of the India Tour of England will take place live on the JioHotstar App. TV viewers can watch the match live on the Sony Ten 1, Ten 3, and Ten 4 channels.
Odds are in favor of England, and playing at home makes them the favorites to win this encounter. Overcast conditions will play a critical role in the toss, as both captains will look to bowl according to the conditions. Having said that, Team India’s pace trio of Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Jasprit Bumrah will be more lethal in such conditions compared to their counterparts, who look a bit inexperienced, barring Chris Woakes. Therefore, the Indian team will definitely pose a threat and can upset England at home. Therefore, we are backing Team India to win this one. Right now, as per our prediction, the visitors, India, are expected to win the 1st ENG vs IND Dream11 Prediction Test match.