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Team India will take on England to kick off their 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) campaign. In the previous WTC cycle (2023-25), India fell short of reaching the final after suffering consecutive Test series defeats against New Zealand and Australia. Their record in England has been challenging, with their last Test series win dating back to 2007. However, they came close to defeating the Three Lions in their most recent tour in 2021-2022, notching a 2-1 lead before the final match was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. When India returned to England nearly a year later to play the rescheduled fifth Test, England clinched the issue, resulting in the series ending in a draw.
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Joe Root wants England to be wary of India challenge ahead of Test series
Meanwhile, ahead of this upcoming Test series, former England captain Joe Root is fully aware of the formidable challenge that Team India presents. He stated that there will be no room for complacency or inconsistency for England against such a strong opponent. Root wants England to maintain a high level of performance throughout the series to tackle India.
"We are good in our own conditions but with India coming over for a five-match series there's no hiding place. It's a long old slog, you've got to be consistent. You've got to put in those match-winning performances time and time again," Root told Sky Sports.
On the other side, India will look to address their shortcomings as they have several areas that require improvement if they aim to clinch a series win in England. The big concern revolves around the current form of two key batsmen, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, with increasing pressure on these experienced players to perform consistently for the team. There had been considerable speculation regarding their inclusion in the squad for the England tour, but recent reports indicate that both are likely to be part of the team. Nevertheless, this series could potentially be the final opportunity for these veterans to demonstrate that they still possess the required level of performance in Test cricket. A disappointing showing in England would almost certainly raise serious questions about the longevity of their Test careers.
Moreover, India will be keenly hoping that their premier fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, reaches peak fitness before the start of the series. Bumrah sustained a back injury during a tour of Australia and has been sidelined from competitive cricket since then. There are reports suggesting that he is expected to make a comeback in the latter half of the ongoing IPL season.
