The 2025–27 World Test Championship is already underway, with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh locking horns in a two-match series. But all eyes will soon turn to Leeds, where cricket’s attention will shift to the Pataudi Trophy as England prepare to host India at Headingley on June 20.
India, once tipped as strong contenders for the 2025 WTC final, saw their campaign unravel in dramatic fashion. A shock home whitewash at the hands of New Zealand followed by a 3-1 series defeat to Australia Down Under marked a rare low point.
After reaching the WTC finals in both 2021 and 2025, this is the first time the Men in Blue have missed out on the grand stage.
England’s hopes were also dashed after a turbulent end to their campaign. Their dominant win in the opening Test in Pakistan briefly rekindled belief, but the home side roared back to take the series. England’s failure to sweep New Zealand in their last WTC series sealed their fate, leaving them out of the final contention.
Now, both giants of the Test arena are aiming to reset and make a statement, with the Pataudi Trophy offering a perfect stage to do just that.
The Sporting News looks at the key details ahead of this game, including how to watch the match, start times, and the latest lineup news.
England vs. India live stream, TV channel
Here's how to watch the 1st Test between England and India in the U.K.:
- TV Channel: Sky Sports Cricket, Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports
- Live Stream: NOW TV
Fans in the United Kingdom will be able to watch this game live exclusively on Sky Sports network. Streaming options are available on NOW TV.
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What time does England vs. India start in the UK?
The 1st Test match between England and India will be played at Headingley Cricket Ground in Leeds, England, from Friday, June 20, to Tuesday, June 24. Play is scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. local time (BST) each day.
England vs. India predicted XIs, team news
England's gung-ho approach under head coach Brendon McCullum is set to continue for England through the Pataudi Trophy. The offensive outlook towards their batting shows up clearly in the batting lineup, as they have often gone with a top-heavy eleven.
Joe Root was the top scorer in the 2023-25 cycle of the World Test Championship with 1,968 runs through 40 innings and will be their star batter at No. 4 yet again. Meanwhile, Ben Duckett and Harry Brook were the third and fourth top scorers through the same cycle, and will be starting the clash as well, as expected.
Bowling has been a point of concern for England following James Anderson's retirement, as Chris Woakes and Josh Tongue have not lived up to expectations. Sam Cook is expected to take the field in front of Brydon Carse and Jamie Overton, while Shoaib Bashir will be their lone spinner.
England predicted XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Josh Tongue, Sam Cook, Shoaib Bashir.
It will be somewhat of a new look batting lineup for India heading into the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle after Virat Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma's retirement from the format. It is expected that KL Rahul will open for the side alongside youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was the second-highest scorer in the 2023-25 cycle.
Karun Nair is set to return to the Indian test cricket scene after an eight-year absence as he will likely be the chosen candidate for Shubman Gill's vacant No. 3 spot, with the new captain set to take up the No.4 position.
It is a toss-up between Shardul Thakur and Nitish Kumar Reddy for the spot of the fast bowling all-rounder, while Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar will be the spinners, as their batting gives them priority over Kuldeep Yadav. With Mohammed Shami missing the squad, Prasidh Krishna or Akash Deep could likely be the starter alongside Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.
India predicted XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
India Test tour of England 2025 schedule
All times BST
Test Matches
- First Test: Jun. 20-24, Headingley, Leeds, 11:00 a.m.
- Second Test: Jul. 2-6, Edgbaston, Birmingham, 11:00 a.m.
- Third Test: Jul. 10-14, Lord's, London, 11:00 a.m.
- Fourth Test: Jul. 23-27, Old Trafford, Manchester, 11:00 a.m.
- Fifth Test: Jul. 31- Aug. 4, The Oval, London, 11:00 a.m.