England order a batting-friendly pitch at Headingley to attack India with their 'Bazball' approach

England vs India first test will begin from June 20 at Headingley, Leeds.

India’s tour of England 2025 is set to commence from June 20 with the first test at Headingley in Leeds. Indian Cricket Team will be led by their new skipper Shubman Gill against England. The right-handed batsman will take charge of the national team for the first time in the longest format of the game.

Following the retirement of senior members in Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from test cricket, the Indian team will have to push themselves in the batting department. Many young and inexperienced players are part of the squad and will undergo a huge challenge during the England vs India test series.

The Ben Stokes-led side is known to dominate in tests in their home conditions and is expected to leave no stones unturned to outplay a young Indian side. However, they will be short of key pacers like Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, and Gus Atkinson in the opening game due to injuries.

England preparing a batting-friendly pitch at Headingley for first test

Under coach Brendon McCullum, England have adopted an aggressive style in tests for the last few years. Skipper Ben Stokes has also supported this “Bazball” approach, which has helped the team dominate opposition teams in test series over the last few years.

Interestingly, England are looking to dominate India with a similar approach during the first test in Leeds. During a chat with ESPNCricinfo, head of grounds at Leeds, Richard Robinson, revealed that the hosts are preparing a hard surface for the first test, which will help batters to dominate bowlers during the clash.

“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,” Robsinon said.

Notably, England faced a 4-1 defeat against India in India last year. They recently thrashed Zimbabwe at home in a one-off test and will be high on confidence. They currently grab the third spot in ICC test rankings, and are followed by India in the fourth spot.

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