England vs India Preview & Prediction | First Test

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The first Test of a highly-anticipated five-match series between cricketing powerhouses England and India gets underway at Headingley.

Date/time:

Venue: Headingley, Leeds, England

Weather: A chance of rain disrupting play across the five days, but mainly dry and cloudy with hot conditions, whilst day one will be a scorcher, bright sunshine amid 29c temperatures.

How to watch: UK – Sky Sports / USA – Willow TV

England vs India prediction

With the retirement of Rohit Sharma, it will be Shubman Gill who captains India in Test cricket for the very first time and what a place for him to start. Headingley is the setting for these two cricketing juggernauts to begins a fast and furious five-match series as England look to extend a losing Test series streak for India away in England that stretches back to 2007.

As always when at Headingley, England batter Joe Root will get an huge ovation from the Yorkshire crowd, as will Harry Brook. These two are key pillars of England’s batting order, whilst Ollie Pope has been given the nod at number three over Jacob Bethell. This will be a huge series for Pope with his place in the side under real scrutiny.

The biggest worry from an Indian perspective comes three-fold. Firstly, it’s the potential lack of support for Jasprit Bumrah. Arguably the best bowler in the world today, right-arm pacer Bumrah desperately needs help from the supporting cast within India’s bowling attack and it remains to be seen as to whether the tourists have those difference-makers among their squad.

There’s also the concern of a lack of runs without both Rohit and Virat Kohli, who retired from Test cricket just recently, leaving a huge hold in the Indian top order. Huge pressure now likes on players such as Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan. These are hugely exciting young stars, but inexperienced stars when it comes to playing Test cricket in England. Then you have the leadership left behind by Rohit and Kohli. Who is going to step up in the dressing room when required?

England’s recent red ball record at Headingley is excellent, having won their last five Test matches there, including one against India by an innings and 76 runs back in 2021. They are well-worth backing to make it six-in-a-row here.

England vs India tip: England to win