Clash Of Titans: India To Tour England For Five-Test Series In Summer 2025

Summer 2025 is set to be a big one for the cricket world. It’ll feature a clash of two titans of the game–England and India–with a five Test series that could have large influence over the entire World Test Championship for the 2025-27 cycle.

Let’s learn all about it.

A Highly Anticipated Chapter in Cricket’s Historic Rivalry

There are some thrilling rivalries in cricket. And a lot of them involve India! India vs. Pakistan is always a ferocious and feisty encounter for example. India vs. Australia games also often tend to be exciting, as both sides have been so dominant in the sport over the ages.

India vs. England is another major rivalry, with a lot of connotations–historical, political, and beyond. Here’s a look back at the rivalry and how it’s evolved over the years.

Legacy of India vs. England Test Battles

Sports fans, cricket lovers, and gamers–like players of game-mines.in–have always enjoyed watching India vs. England Test match clashes. And it’s not hard to see why. Both of these are big cricket nations, both put a lot of stock into the performance of their national teams.

We’ve seen some thrilling series over the years, like:

• 1933/34: The first England in India series, in which England won 2-0. 

• 1951/52: The first time India battled to a draw against England in a Test series. 

• 1961/62: The first victory for India, 2-0. 

• 1971: India's first Test series win on English soil. 

• 1984/85: A classic series that finished with a narrow 2-1 England win. 

• 2011: The Pataudi Trophy series, which England won 4-0. 

• 2021/22: Another Pataudi Trophy series, with the sides drawing 2-2.

In the early days of the rivalry, England often came out on top, but India has evolved massively since then. So many series nowadays are quite unpredictable, though both teams often have a big home advantage.

Performance Review of Both Teams Leading Into the 2025 Series

Both teams approach the summer series in fair form, with a mixture of victories and defeats in recent performances.

In India’s latest tests, for example, they fell to a 3-1 loss to Australia away from home, as well as 3-0 loss in New Zealand. However, they managed a 1-1 with South Africa and beat England (on Indian turf) 4-1 in 2023/24.

Meanwhile, England have been strong at home in recent times. In fact, they haven't lost any Test series at home since New Zealand's 1-0 series win in 2021. During that time, they've beaten New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, the West Indies, and Sri Lanka, as well as drawing 2-2 with Australia in The Ashes.

Full Schedule of the India Tour of England 2025

Next, let’s dig into the details of the summer 2025 Test series and see what we can look forward to, exactly.

Match Fixtures and Venues

The series will be made up of five matches:

• 1st Test: Headingley, Leeds – June 20–24 

• 2nd Test: Edgbaston, Birmingham – July 2–6 

• 3rd Test: Lord’s, London – July 10–14 

• 4th Test: Old Trafford, Manchester – July 23–27 

• 5th Test: The Oval, London – July 31–August 4

So, fans can look forward to a full summer’s worth of action at all of the classic English venues.

Conditions and Pitch Expectations in English Summer

It’s always hard to predict the weather in England. And that can make it harder to think about how matches held in this part of the world might turn out, as Tests can and have been rained off or interrupted by changing conditions across the British Isles.

However, for the most part, if we look at past data and recent summers, decent weather should be expected. We can forecast warm to hot temperatures for all of the Tests, especially those taking place in late July and early August.

There may also be a reasonable level of moisture in the air, some cloud cover from time to time, and rainy spells. This is something that India will have to adapt to, making the most of seam movement in the early overs and swing bowling during cloudy, humid spells.

Squads and Key Players to Watch

Next, let’s have a closer look at the two squads and some of the most important players on either side.

India’s Expected Lineup and X-Factors

We can’t predict the full lineup for India with exact certainty, but several key players are likely to make the cut, including:

• The Veterans: Major players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will be there in the summer, barring any unexpected injuries. Both have huge roles to play in trying to guide their team to success, and both have plenty of experience playing in the English conditions which they can use to guide the younger players.

• Young Guns: India always has an impressive crop of young talent rising up its ranks, and this year’s no different. Fans will be eager to see young Shubman Gill, the No. 1 ODI batter in the world right now, with an average of 35.05 in 32 Tests played so far. Yashasvi Jaiswal will also be one to watch. He famously scored back-to-back double centuries against England in Tests in 2024.

• Bowling Attack: India has some of the finest bowlers in the world to pick from. There’s Jasprit Bumrah, for instance, who always has a knack of making the ball turn in unexpected ways. There’s also the talent of Mohammed Siraj to call on, and the spinning skills of R. Ashwin.

England’s Strongest XI and Home Advantage

England’s team is also reasonably easy to predict, thought the selectors might make one or two surprises as the series draws closer. We’ll expect to see:

• Impact Players: Joe Root, Ben Stokes, and Ollie Pope. Three massive names on the English roster. Root has always proven himself a steady pair of hands for racking up runs and even nabbing the odd wicket. Stokes is a man made for big games and bigger moments, and Pope is a solid and dependable batter, too.

• Speed and Swing: England’s bowling attack will feature a mixture of speed and swing. We can expect Mark Wood to feature with his lightning quick deliveries, though England will miss the pace and experience of recently retired Jimmy Anderson. In the swing department, they might call on Jack Leach or even Shoaib Bashir.

• Depth: There’s a lot of depth to this lineup. And that applies all over the board, from the pace bowlers to the batsmen. This gives England the opportunity to maybe catch India off-guard with a surprise selection or two.

Tactical Preview and Team Strategies

Next, a dig into the tactics employed on both sides of the divide.

India’s Roadmap to Success in England

How can India beat England? Well, they can look back to the most recent Test meetings between the two, which took place in India and which India dominated, for the most part, and take some cues from that.

Of course, the conditions will be very different in England compared to India, but a lot of the same ideas and principles apply.

India will, for example, want to counter-act the English swing and seam bowlers, using clever, controlled batting, timing their shots, and not over-extending or taking unnecessary risks. They may also load up their lineup with all-rounders, giving them more options in the field so as not to tire out individual players or put too much pressure on them. We might even see India employ a double-spinner strategy, as some of England’s top order have struggled with spin in the past.

England’s Approach to Counter Indian Strengths

England have to be wary. They know India are a good side. Even if they have the home advantage, they still must manage their strategy with care to counter-act the better aspects of the Indian squad. 

That should include deploying their best bowlers early on to weaken the Indian top order. If they can put enough pressure on early in the games, they might expose some weaknesses, grab a couple of early wickets, and then let the less ruthless bowlers in their team pick off the rest. But they’ll need to rotate their pace bowlers well to avoid any unwanted injuries to people like Mark Wood. They also, naturally, need to make the most of their home advantage and the fans.

Stakes in the World Test Championship 2025–27 Cycle

Let’s now talk about how this series plays into the overall WTC cycle for the next few years.

Importance of This Series for the WTC Table

England and India are always among the teams battling to be around the top of the WTC table, so both will want to get off to a good start in the 2025-27 cycle with some wins in this series. 

As the home side, England will especially want to get some points on the board early, as they may struggle to rack up wins in other countries. India, meanwhile, may want to just get back home without suffering too much or giving up too many points to the English.

Following the existing ruleset, each win is worth 12 points, with ties worth six and draws worth four. And teams can be penalized for things like bowling too slowly, so that’s something else for both to keep in mind.

In the long-term, this series won’t decide the entire cycle, as there will still be a lot of cricket left to play. But it’ll have an impact, especially as it arrives early in the cycle, and it gives both sides chances to get ahead and put pressure on their opponents right away.

Comparison with Other Major WTC Matchups

India vs. England is always going to be among the most-watched cricket clashes and most hyped meetings in the WTC cycle. It might not have the fire of India vs. Pakistan or the showstopping drama of England vs. Australia, but it’s still a great matchup, pitting two of the best Test sides against each other.

We can expect millions of fans in both countries, and from other cricket nations, to keep up with the action and want to track the India national cricket team vs England cricket team match scorecard for each Test. Many will also watch the games live and in person, while others tune in on radio commentary or TV.

Broadcast, Fan Engagement, and Economic Impact

Finally, a look at the media and fan side of the series.

Where to Watch the India vs. England Test Series 2025

You can keep up with all the action and live England cricket team vs India national cricket team match scorecard updates online via sites like ESPN Cric Info. Or you can watch every ball live on TV, if you have the right package.

• In the UK, the Tests will be shown on TNT Sports

• In India, they’ll be on the Disney+ Hotstar service

Economic and Tourism Effects on UK Cities

Given the passion of the Indian fans, we can expect a lot of action in and around the big cities where the matches are due to take place, like Manchester and London. Loads of fans will fly over from India to support their side in the flesh, and that’ll help the local economy as they spend at restaurants, hotels, etc.

Final Thoughts: Can India Break the England Jinx?

Up to now, India has massively struggled to win Test games in England. Is that about to end?

India’s Struggles to Win a Test Series in England

The last time India won a Test series in England was 2007, with a narrow 1-0 win out of three Tests played. Since then, India has come close again, like in the 2-2 Pataudi Trophy draw in 2021/22, but hasn’t tasted true victory.

But the side is arguably stronger now. Players like Kohli and Sharma have more experience, the bowling side of the squad has deepened, with players like Bumrah emerging among the best in the world, and tactically, India have also gotten smarter. 

Potential Outcomes and Series Prediction

For England, the best-case would be a whitewash, with a scoreline like 3-0 or 4-1 for the series. Worst-case scenario, realistically speaking, would be a narrow loss, perhaps 2-1 to India.

For India, they probably won’t win the majority of the Tests, because of their past struggles and England’s home advantage, but could still aim to tie the series or claim a narrow win. Worst-case scenario is that they get dominated and fail to win any Tests.

Expert views are mixed, with many English pundits and fans feeling that the home advantage for England should help them win the series. At the same time, there’s a lot of optimism behind this India lineup and belief that they could finally end the hoodoo and claim a big win on English soil, especially if England are missing any key men, like Stokes or Wood.