Life Comes Full Circle For Karun Nair, Makes India Return After Almost 3000 Days

The England vs India 2025 series is off and running at Headingley. England won the toss and opted to bowl first. Ben Stokes seemed very confident of the decision that he made despite a weakened seam attack.

Meanwhile, Shubman Gill's young Indian team will bat first. He too confirmed at the toss that Sai Sudharshan will make his Test debut. He was given his maiden Test cap by Cheteshwar Pujara before the start of the game.

The Test series kicks off a new World Test Championship cycle. England have never won the Test championship and neither have India. Two captains at opposite ends of the spectrum now have a job on their hands.

Also Read: England vs India Tests: WV Raman Backs Abhimanyu Easwaran Over Sai Sudharsan for Opener Role

England Won The Toss, Opted To Bowl First

Ben Stokes addressed his bowling attack at the toss, confirming that it is a three-man seam attack, including himself as the fourth.

"We'll bowl. Headingley is a very good cricket wicket, we've had some really good games here. Want to try and use the early conditions. Been a long time coming, bit strange that this is just the second series but we're ready. It's been mixed, some lads have played county cricket, we've had three days of really good cricket. Usual suspects in the top seven, Woakes, Brydon, Bashir, Tongue and myself make up the bowling" said Stokes.

Meanwhile, Shubman Gill said that the team is fully ready and prepared to face the hosts and had a good time preparing for the series. He confirmed Sai and Karun's inclusion in the XI, further confirming that the southpaw will bat at three.

 "Would've bowled first as well, might be a bit tough in the first session but it should be good to bat on later. Sun is out, should be a good batting deck for us. Preperation has been amazing, we played a practice game in Beckenham, lads are feeling great. Sai makes his debut, Karun comes in. Sai will bat at three" Gill said.

Also Read: IND vs ENG Pitch Report & Weather Updates at Headingley, Leeds: India tour of England, 1st Test

Karun Nair Makes His Test Comeback After 3000 Days

Another big story for this Test match is the return of Karun Nair to the Test side. He last played a Test match for India in 2017 and will now make a return to the side after 8 years, which marks a gap of almost 3000 days.

In a video ahead of the match by BCCI.TV, Karun Nair was seen speaking about how badly he missed Test cricket and he also spoke about the hard yards he made for his return.

Teams:

India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes(c), Jamie Smith(w), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir

For More ENG vs IND Live Updates

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