Kapil's captaincy, Kumble's Test century, and Kohli's flourish. India's Test campaigns in England over the years.

New Delhi: Cricketing history will surely be on the mind of India captain Shubman Gill as he leads the team in the five-Test series against England, beginning on June 20 at Headingley in Leeds.

Based on sheer numbers, England has the upper hand as they have won 51 out of the total 136 Tests played between the two sides. India has won 35, while the remaining 50 ended in draws. The last time India won a Test series in England was in 2007, when the Rahul Dravid-led team included veteran players Zaheer Khan, Anil Kumble, Sachin Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman, and Sourav Ganguly.

The last time India toured England was in 2021, when the visiting team had the upper hand with a 2-1 record before Covid struck the Indian team. While rain had washed out the first match, the fifth match was cancelled. This match was played in July 2022, with the Ben Stokes-led home side winning the match at Edgbaston and levelling the series 2-2.

What will also be in focus is that both sides will be squaring off without some big names due to retirement. If India is playing Test matches for the first time without Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the visiting side will be relieved to see that the bowling pair of James Anderson and Stuart Broad are no longer in the opposition team.

With each generation, the rivalry renews itself, filled with unforgettable performances, intense verbal exchanges, and series that shape careers and legacies. It is now time for players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, and Nitish Reddy to make their mark in the longest format of cricket.

The match at Headingley marks the beginning of the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. The second game will be played at Edgbaston in Birmingham from July 2, followed by the third match at Lord's starting July 10. The teams will then square off at Old Trafford in Manchester from July 23. Kennington Oval in London is the venue for the fifth and last Test beginning July 31.

Former England captain Nasser Hussain has predicted that India will win just one match in the five-Test series. "England have a strong track record at home, and India will miss the runs and experience of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. It's a tough call, but I believe the home advantage will tip it in favor of England, and I'm going for a 3-1 score," Hussain forecasted in his column for Mail Sport.

Much will depend on India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and so will be the eyes on fellow bowling partner Mohammed Siraj. In the 2021-2022 Pataudi Trophy, Bumrah had topped the bowler’s list with 23 wickets in five matches. This time, the fast bowler has committed his availability for three matches.

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India's record in England

In 1932, India played its first-ever Test match at Lord’s, and the rivalry has grown over the years. From Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev tormenting England in the ‘70s and ‘80s to the dramatic 2007 and 2021 series wins on English and Indian soil respectively, this rivalry has never lacked drama, not even in clashes with Pakistan or Australia.

The 2-0 series win, under Kapil Dev’s captaincy, in 1986 scripted a new and a glorious chapter in India’s Test cricket history. It was the country’s first Test series victory since 1971; it reflected India’s growing confidence and was also a testament to improved performance in overseas cricket.

Then came the 2007 victory under Rahul Dravid’s captaincy. The pace attack, led by Zaheer, took the England batsmen by surprise. India proved that while spin is their strong suit, they are equipped with a deadly pace unit as well. Kumble’s batting exploits—he hit 110 not out at No.8, his only Test century—in the Third Test match at The Oval are memorable. India won the Test series by 1-0.

But, the scars from English defeats are just as prevalent—from the 5-0 whitewash in 1959 and the 4-0 defeat in 2011 to the 2014 and 2018 Pataudi Trophy losses by 3-1 and 4-1. Although the 2018 results were not in India’s favor, it saw Virat Kohli in his prime: he scored 593 runs, including two centuries, in five Tests at an average of 59.30. Senior pacer Ishant Sharma was second in the wicket-taker list with 16 scalps, after Anderson’s 24.

The 2021-22 Test series stretched across two English summers due to the pandemic. India, with a lead of 2-1, was just inches away from scripting history. But, due to the Covid scare, the final and deciding Test match was postponed to 2022 at Edgbaston.

The English batsmen chased down 378 runs, thanks to Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root’s pressure-cooker centuries. Bairstow smashed 106 and 114 (not out), while Root, who gave away his wicket at 31 to Mohammed Siraj in the first innings, redeemed himself, scoring 142 runs. The series was levelled at 2-2.

"If we go back, if there was no rain in the first match, we could have won the series. But England played really well. We have drawn the series and both teams played very good cricket. It was a fair result," Bumrah said in the post-match presentation.

(Edited by Tony Rai)

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