England announce playing XI for the first test against India, Jacob Bethell dropped

The England vs India first test will be played at Headingley in Leeds.

The England Cricket Team have announced their playing XI for the first test against the Indian Cricket Team. The match between the two teams will be taking place at Headingley in Leeds from Friday (20th June). 

England have retained the opening combination of Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett for the first test against India. The duo has been extremely successful as a pair in the longest format of the game and would be keen to start the five-match series on a high. 

Vice-captain Ollie Pope will be batting at three in the first test, followed by Joe Root and Harry Brook at four and five, respectively. The trio will be holding the key for England in the match against India. They have played a major role in the success of the team over the last few years and would want to continue their good form. 

Skipper Ben Stokes has been slotted at five. He is expected to play a huge role with the bat and ball in the game. Jamie Smith, who will be batting at six, will be donning the keeping gloves. What has been surprising is that they have dropped Jacob Bethell, who was expected to be the first-choice player in the team. 

Chris Woakes returns to the XI after a long gap and would want to make an immediate impact. He will be handling the pace department alongside Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue. Woakes, being experienced, will have to take the responsibility with the ball. Shoaib Bashir will be the specialist spinner in the team.

England playing XI for the first test against India 

Here’s England playing XI for the first test against India 

Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir 

England will be heading into the test on the back of the dominating win against Zimbabwe in the one-off test. The series between England and India will also be the first one for both sides in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27.

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