3 player battles to watch out for in ENG vs IND 2025 Test series ft. Jasprit Bumrah

The Test series between England and India is all set to kick off with the first match beginning Friday, June 20, at Headingley, Leeds. The highly anticipated series is part of the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.

The Indian team has a fresh look this time around under new captain Shubman Gill. They are missing some big names such as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin.

Meawhile, England, led by Ben Stokes, also have problems of their own. The English are without Mark Wood, Jofra Archer (first Test) and Gus Atkinson in their pace attack.

It is expected to be an exiciting series as the two teams are set to battle it out in five intense Tests. Here are three player battles to watch out for throughout the series.

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#3 Rishabh Pant vs Shoaib Bashir

England & India Net Sessions - Source: Getty

Team India wicket-keeper batter and vice-captain Rishabh Pant will have a crucial role to play with the bat in England. In the absence of senior batters like Rohit and Kohli, Pant will have an added responsibiliy. Pant is known for taking down spinners irrespective of the format.

When he comes up against England's off-spinner Shoiab Bashir, it is expected to be an interesting match-up. Bashir has bagged 58 wickets from 16 Test matches and has a knack for breaking big partnerships. While Pant has been aggressive against spin, he also has a tendency to lose his wicket to spinners. The left-hander has played nine Tests in England and has scored 556 runs at an average of 32.70 with two hundreds and as many fifties.

It will be interesting to see how he approaches spin throughout the series, making this a crucial battle to watch out for.

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#2 Yashasvi Jaiswal vs Chris Woakes

England & India Net Sessions - Source: Getty

Among the areas of concern for England is the lack of experience in their pace attack. All-rounder Chris Woakes is the most experienced pacer in their squad for the India series. Woakes has played 57 Tests and has taken 181 wickets.

The 36-year-old will have a massive role to play with the ball for the hosts throughout the five matches. The lack of experience is an area someone like Yashasvi Jaiswal, expected to open the batting, will look to exploit. Jaiswal is in good form, scoring a half-century in one of the games between India A and England Lions.

It will be crucial for the young opener to do well at the top. Jaiswal was the top run-scorer for India in the recent Test series against Australia and will be expected to replicate the same in England as well.

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#1 Jasprit Bumrah vs Joe Root

England & India Net Sessions - Source: Getty

The biggest player battle to watch out for in the series between England and India will undoubtedly be the one between Jasprit Bumrah and Joe Root. Bumrah is the spearhead of the Indian attack, even though he will likely not play all five Tests.

Veteran batter Root, the most experienced in their line-up, will hold the key once again. The 34-year-old has a splendid record against India both home and away. The Indians will be hoping Bumrah can dismiss Root as quickly as possible, before he gets into the swing of things.

The two have faced each other multipe times in the format already. Root has scored 286 runs against Bumrah at an average of 31.8 while the Indian pacer has dismissed the veteran England batter nine times. It will certainy be a spicy battle between the two and one that could largely define the outcome of the series.