Updated 18 June 2025 at 15:11 IST
England Start Mind Games Ahead Of IND vs ENG Headingley Test, Leeds Curator Shares Insights About Ben Stokes And Co.'s Big Demand For Series Opener
India will lock horns with England in a five-match Test series starting June 20, 2025. The first match of the series will be hosted by Headingley. India also start their WTC 2027 cycle with the England series
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England's captain Ben Stokes addresses a press conference ahead of the 3rd Test match against India, at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot | Image:
ANI Photo
IND vs ENG 1st Test: Cricket is a sport where playing conditions do play a great role in determining the result of the game, and the upcoming India vs England series is going to be no different. The role of the surface (pitch) and the weather becomes even more important when games are being played in England, and India will be well aware of it heading into the series. Both India and England start their World Test Championship cycle with this series.
Leeds Curator Opens Up On England's Demands For 1st IND vs ENG Test
Headingley has always been a tough assignment for batters. The batters of the opposition find all sorts of demons in the Headingley surface, with the presence of swing, seam, and bounce. Every match in the World Test Championship holds a lot of significance, and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has made sure that India finds the going tough in the upcoming series. Ben Stokes and Co. have reportedly made a special request to the Leeds curator in order to dominate India in the series opener.
'They (England) just want to have a good surface, so it's true, really, so we can hit through the line of the ball. That's really what they're looking for,' said Richard Robinson, head of grounds at Leeds, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
Dissecting Headingley's Number Game
- Total matches played: 84
- Matches won while batting first: 29
- Matches won while bowling first: 36
- Average 1st innings total: 298
- Average 2nd innings total: 291
- Average 3rd innings total: 239
- Average 4th innings total: 165
- Highest total: 653/4 (193 overs) by AUS vs ENG
- Lowest total: 61/10 (26.2 overs) by WI vs ENG
- Highest total chased: 404/3 (114.1 overs) by AUS vs ENG
- Lowest total defended: 75/10 (44.4 overs) by RSA vs ENG
Shubman Gill Aims To Replicate Rahul Dravid's Heroics
Shubman Gill's team India has a herculean task ahead of them, of defeating Ben Stokes' England in England. The five-match Test series will be crucial to India's hopes of starting the new World Test Championship cycle in a thumping fashion. India last won a Test series in England in 2007, and since then they haven't been able to replicate it.
Published 18 June 2025 at 15:11 IST