Legendary England fast bowler James Anderson has offered a striking prediction in anticipation of the forthcoming five-match Test series between India and England. England is set to host India for these red-ball encounters, with the series commencing at Headingley in Leeds from June 20 to 24. Subsequent matches are scheduled to take place in Birmingham, Lord’s, Manchester, and The Oval.
This series will see Shubman Gill at the helm for India, marking the start of their 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle. Notably, the Indian team will be without the seasoned presence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, both of whom announced their retirement from Test cricket last month.
Despite the absence of these two stalwarts, James Anderson believes India has assembled a “strong squad” for the series.
“This series is going to be exactly the same as you’d expect. I know India are going through a little bit of change with a new captain (Shubman Gill) and losing (Virat) Kohli and (Rohit) Sharma, but I still think they’ve got a strong squad with some really exciting players,” Anderson conveyed to ESPN Cricinfo.
He further added, “England obviously are trying to play a certain way. It lends itself to a really exciting series.”
With Rohit’s retirement, KL Rahul is poised to open the innings for India in the five Tests against England, while Shubman Gill is highly likely to bat at No. 4. His Gujarat Titans teammate, B Sai Sudharsan, is also expected to make his Test debut as a No. 3 batter, aiming to carry his exceptional IPL 2025 form into the English conditions.
