There is something raw, visceral, and sacred about counting down the days to a much-anticipated Test series. And these emotions are reaching fever pitch as we are just one sleep away from the Anderson–Tendulkar Test series, as India and England kickstart their 2025–27 World Test Championship cycle at Headingley on Friday.
Both teams enter the series in varying phases of their transition. While England have been blooding players and handing out Test caps, India have just taken the first steps in their transition. Shubman Gill is the new Test captain, with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli having announced their retirement from Tests just a month ago. Ravichandran Ashwin had retired in January. It has been a lot to digest for anyone with an Indian affiliation, yet this marks the start of a rather exciting time for both sides.
Irrespective of the absence of big names on either side, there is enough quality on show to ignite the series at any point. With both sides understanding the importance of starting the series on a positive note, there are battles within the battles that will need to be won.
That said, let us take a look at the key battles that could very well define the outcome of the first Test.
Chris Woakes vs Yashasvi Jaiswal
After stalwarts Stuart Broad and James Anderson’s retirement, it is Chris Woakes who has assumed the mantle of leading the English bowling attack. With Mark Wood out until July, Jofra Archer missing the first Test, and Josh Tongue an uncertainty as well, England’s bowling is looking threadbare bar Woakes and skipper Ben Stokes — provided the latter bowls in the series at all.
Woakes is a tricky customer, and his ability to move the new ball laterally in the early overs will make him a threat. His ability to skid the ball off the surface will also cause a few headaches for the Indian batters.
Standing in front of him will be India’s audacious Yashasvi Jaiswal. It was in the home series against England that Jaiswal announced himself on the Test arena, scoring runs for fun and unleashing a thrilling assault on James Anderson in one of the matches. He will be responsible for negating the early threat that Woakes will present and giving his side a good start.
Jaiswal has time and again shown his ability to adapt and churn out runs based on the conditions ahead of him. His adaptability will face arguably the biggest and sternest examination in English conditions, and against Woakes in particular, whom he will be facing for the first time in Test cricket.
England’s openers vs Jasprit Bumrah
If there are two players synonymous with the Bazball style of play that has been notoriously championed by England of late, it’s the opening pair of Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett.
Both openers have taken to this approach like ducks to water, and their returns have been overwhelmingly positive. Duckett, in particular, has been the catalyst for those fast and breezy starts that have been the highlight of this pair. Crawley has been scoring at a strike rate of 77.29, with Duckett striking at a scarcely believable rate of 88.87. They will once again be called on to give those starts and throw a spanner into India’s best-laid plans.
Standing in their way is India’s gladiator and Man Friday, Jasprit Bumrah. After his jaw-dropping Aussie sojourn, he has now stepped on English shores as the man to fear. Every English batter knows what Bumrah brings to the table, and it is undoubtedly intimidating, to say the least.
Will Duckett and Crawley go all guns blazing, or will Bumrah have the last laugh against them?
Shubman Gill vs Ben Stokes
On the face of it, this seems like a rather unfair battle given the difference between the two captains in terms of leadership experience. But dig a little deeper, and you’ll find that both of these skippers are fighting different battles within themselves.
For Gill, it is the burden of leading a comparatively new-look India team in a period of transition. A new top order, the absence of Sharma, Kohli, and Ashwin, and the uncertainty around Bumrah’s availability — these are all challenging situations that will test the 25-year-old’s mettle and resolve. Add to it questions about his underwhelming record abroad, and it is going to be very interesting to watch him juggle between his batting and his captaincy responsibilities.
As far as Stokes is concerned, it is about time Bazball delivered against bigger sides. It is all well and good getting results against teams like Sri Lanka and the West Indies, who are considered at the moment a bit down the pecking order, but getting results against the likes of India and Australia would be a huge uplift. Bazball has been a breath of fresh air and liberated a lot of players in the side, but Stokes will need more than just liberation if he wants to win a series against a new-look yet very dangerous Team India.
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