3 things India need to do right to beat England in ENG vs IND 2025 Test series ft. Jasprit Bumrah

The much-awaited five match Test series between India and England will begin on Friday, June 20 with the opening match at Headingley in Leeds. The series marks the start of the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle for both India and England. Neither of the two sides managed to reach the 2025 WTC final and will be looking to begin a new cycle with a positive mindset.

The visitors have undergone a mini overhaul. From the Test team that lost 3-1 in Australia, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will be missing in action. Both the senior cricketers retired from Test cricket ahead of the England series. Also, veteran off spinner Ravichandran Ashwin quit international cricket midway through the Australia series. Mohammad Shami, who missed the Aussie series, remains unfit.

In the absence of big names, India are being led by Shubman Gill, while keeper-batter Rishabh Pant has been named his deputy. They do have a few experienced hands in the likes of Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah. But, the visitors would need the young guns to stand up and deliver as well.

Ahead of the England vs India Test at Headingley in Leeds, we analyze three things the visitors need to do to have a chance of beating the hosts.

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#1 Thwart England's Bazball approach

It is almost a given that the five-match Test series would be decided on the basis of how successful England's Bazball approach proves to be. Their ploy backfired in India last year as the Englishmen ended up losing the five-match series 4-1. However, it would be fair to say that Bazball has been highly successful in English conditions as the hosts have exploited the home conditions well.

The last time India played a Test in England in Birmingham in 2022, the hosts came from behind to chase down 378 in the fourth innings. In fact, they got home in comprehensive fashion in the end as Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow hammered unbeaten hundreds, adding an unbroken 269 runs.

India cannot allow England to dominate proceedings with the bat in the manner like they did in Birmingham three years back. Gill and co. must ensure that England's Bazball philosophy does not have a big impact on the match. The first Test of the series often sets the tone for the games to come. As such, the visitors cannot allow England to grab the upper hand early in the contest.

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#2 Support for Jasprit Bumrah

As has been the case for a while now, India will be heavily dependent on Bumrah to deliver the goods with the ball in England as well. Even though the star pacer is unlikely to play all the Tests of the five-match series due to his workload management, his performance could have a major impact on the end result.

In the series against Australia, Bumrah was outstanding. He finished as the leading wicket-taker, with 32 wickets at an average of 13.06 and a strike rate of 28.37. However, despite his brilliance, India ended up losing the series 3-1. One of the reasons behind the same was the lack of support for Bumrah. Mohammed Siraj did manage 20 wickets, but he averaged 31.15 at a strike rate of 47.15.

For India to keep England's batters under check, Bumrah will need plenty of support from the other bowlers in the team. Apart from the Siraj, the likes of Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav also need to make an impact. The visitors would need a complete bowling effort if they are to stop England's batters in their tracks.

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#3 Avoid dramatic batting collapses

While India will be without the services of Rohit and Kohli in the five-match Test series in England, their loss should not be as big since neither of them were in good form in red-ball cricket. Looking at the current batting line-up, the likes of Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rahul have the ability to deliver the goods. Of course, skipper Gill also needs to come good apart from some of the new batters.

The Indian batting line-up may have some inexperience, but they certainly do not lack quality. What they, however, need to guard against is dramatic batting collapses, which have been all too frequent recently. In the New Year Test against South Africa in Cape Town last year, they crumbled from 153-5 to 153 all out. In the Bengaluru Test against New Zealand, they went from 408-3 to 462 all-out.

India's batting was found out in Australia as well. Speaking at the pre-series press conference, Indian skipper Gill said that having a young side could be a positive since many of the players do not carry any baggage from the past. While Gill has a fair point, the young batters will need to walk the talk in England. One cannot expect miracles, but if they can contribute steady scores, India will be in the hunt.