As India braces for a much-anticipated five-match Test series against England starting June 20 at Headingley, vice-captain Rishabh Pant has made it clear that his approach to the game remains rock solid.

“Personally, I am in a good head space,” Pant said during a pre-match press conference. “Whenever I play cricket, I look to contribute from my side, be it batting, fielding, or wicket keeping. That is the kind of thought process with which I play cricket all the time, and nothing changes for me coming to England.”

England quick Brydon Carse is relishing the opportunity to play against India for a home Test debut at the Headingley Cricket Ground in the first of the five-Test series that kicks off the English Test summer. Carse made his debut in the longest format in the tour of Pakistan and continued with the side for their tour of New Zealand. Across five matches, he racked up 27 scalps with a career best of 6-42 against the Kiwis at Christchurch in November.

“Headingley is an unbelievable ground. I’ve played a bit of white-ball cricket there over the last couple of years for England and in The Hundred, but to be able to play a home Test against India is going to be pretty exciting, and I cannot wait to get going,” said Carse in the pre-game press conference.

India captain Shubman Gill is set to take up the iconic No. 4 spot in the batting order for the first Test against England at Headingley, Leeds, beginning Friday. Gill's deputy and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant confirmed the decision during a press conference on Wednesday, ending weeks of speculation following Virat Kohli’s retirement from Test cricket.

“I think there is still discussion going on about who is going to bat at No. 3. But No. 4 and 5 are fixed,” Pant said. “I think Shubman will bat at No. 4, and I am going to stick to No. 5 as of now. The rest, we are going to keep discussing.”

With the No. 4 position historically held by legends like Sachin Tendulkar and, more recently, Virat Kohli, Gill stepping into that role marks a significant shift in India's red-ball batting framework. Gill, who had been pushed to No. 3 after struggling as an opener, seems ready to embrace the responsibility of what is often considered the cornerstone position in Test batting.

The start of the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle represents a chance for new beginnings. India and England are set to kick off a five-Test series, beginning at the Headingley Cricket Ground on Friday (June 20). Both teams are coming into this cycle in search of a fresh start despite boasting contrasting records in the first three editions of the trophy.

India carved out their spot in the ultimate Test in 2021 and 2023 but lost in the finals against New Zealand and Australia, respectively. They missed out on qualifying for their third straight final with consecutive series defeats inflicted by the hands of New Zealand (at home) and their tour of Australia. England, on the other hand, have hosted all three finals of the WTC but have never been able to reach the summit clash.

Fresh off winning the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Test Championship (WTC) Final, the South African team arrived home to a rousing welcome at OR Tambo International Airport on Wednesday.

South Africa sealed World Test Championship Final victory, ending a 27-year ICC trophy hoodoo, overcoming Australia by five wickets to lift the famous mace at the home of cricket, the Lord's in London.

Captain Temba Bavuma and coach Shukri Conrad were the first to greet the enthusiastic supporters, proudly holding the mace awarded to them as champions.

With India set to begin the daunting challenge of attempting to emerge victorious on English soil for the first time since 2007, the Shubman Gill-led side will be taking on hosts England in the first Test at the Headingley Cricket Ground.

As per Accuweather, the opening day of the Test on Friday will be the hottest of the five days, with the temperature expected to rise to 30 degrees Celsius. Although the temperature will remain pretty much the same on Saturday, strong winds will be coming in from the South direction at a speed of 17 kilometres per hour.

India has been drawn alongside Pakistan, Australia, South Africa and two yet to be known qualifying teams in Group 1 of the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup, set to be played from June 12 to July 5 in England.

The tenth edition of the tournament, running across 24 days, will open with hosts’ England taking on Sri Lanka at Edgbaston on June 12. Apart from Edgbaston, Hampshire Bowl, Headingley, Old Trafford, The Oval, Bristol County Ground and Lord’s are the other tournament venues. Edgbaston will also be the venue for India’s campaign opener against Pakistan on June 14, before playing against a qualifying team at Headingley on June 17.

India will face South Africa at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground on June 21, and then play against another qualifying team at the same venue on June 25. India’s group stage will come to an end with a high-stakes clash against multiple times champions Australia at the Lord’s Cricket Ground on June 28.

Former England batter Geoffrey Boycott believes that more than Rohit Sharma’s retirement, Virat Kohli’s absence is a devastating blow to India ahead of the starting five-match Test series in Leeds, saying that the right-handed batter was their key player.

Both Rohit and Kohli announced their retirement from Test cricket in May, leaving India with a big void to fill in the longer format at opening and number four positions respectively. Kohli, 36, scored 9,230 runs in 123 Tests and was at fourth place in India's all-time list of run-scorers in the longer format.

“The retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma hurts the chances of India beating England. Kohli is the biggest loss as he has been their best batsman and talisman in all three formats. With so much international cricket played by India, and so little rest, it takes its toll and the mind becomes fatigued.

England skipper and all-rounder Ben Stokes heaped praises on talismanic batter Virat Kohli, saying India will miss his "fighting spirit" when the two teams face-off in a five-match Test series, starting from June 20, adding that he will feel weird not seeing a number 18 jersey on the field.

Team India is taking up the big challenge of a five-Test tour without players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, both of whom have announced their retirement from Test cricket just before the tour. The Indian team will be led by a new face, Shubman Gill, after the India stalwarts announced their retirement from Test cricket last month.

In a video released by England Cricket on their Instagram, Stokes said, "I think what India will miss will be his fighting spirit out in the game, his competitiveness, desire to win. He has made number 18 his, hasn’t he? It’ll be a bit weird not seeing number 18 on the back of anyone… of any Indian shirt, but he has been class for them for a long period of time."

India all-rounder Shardul Thakur believes that the touring Indian squad has the potential to win the upcoming five-match Test series against England starting in Leeds from Friday.

Shardul was part of India's squad that toured England last time in 2021-22. India were 2-1 up in the five-Test series before the final Test of the series was rescheduled to next year due to Covid-19. India lost the final Test - in the absence of the regular captain Rohit Sharma - as England levelled the series 2-2.