14 Aug 2025, Thu

The 2025 India tour of England will include five high-stakes Test matches at iconic venues. Without Rohit or Virat Kohli in their ranks, Shubman Gill will face an essential test as captain during this series.

At Headingley, the forecast 30C heat has yet to materialise; instead, an icy mist has permeated across the pitch and held back any scorching sun that was anticipated.

PhaseDetails
Historical Rivalry– First Test match: 1932 at Lord’s (England dominated early)- Key wins: India’s 1951 Madras series win; 1971 England tour (Ajit Wadekar-led)- Total Tests: 140+ played till date- Notable legends: Sachin Tendulkar, Sir Ian Botham
2025 Series Overview– 5-match Test series in England- Shubman Gill captains India (Rohit & Kohli absent)- Series ends tied at 2-2 due to rain, dramatic finishes
1st Test (Lord’s)– India fell 35 runs short due to bad light- Key players: Akash Deep (5 wickets), Ravindra Jadeja (two 50+ scores), Josh Tongue (5 wickets)
2nd Test (Edgbaston)– India won by 336 runs- Highlights: Shubman Gill (twin centuries), Akash Deep (10 wickets), strong support from Jadeja, Pant, KL Rahul
3rd Test (Lord’s)– England bounced back with late wickets- KL Rahul (century), Archer (crucial 3 wickets), Woakes & Carse (late breakthroughs), Pant injured
4th Test (The Oval)– Match abandoned due to rain, Siraj injury scare- Notables: Washington Sundar (50+), Crawley dismissed by Siraj, series remains tied
5th Test (The Oval)– Ended in a dramatic draw- Joe Root (century), Prasidh Krishna (key breakthrough), Jaiswal dropped twice but finished strong

History of the rivalry

India and England first came head-to-head during their first official Test match held at Lord’s cricket ground in London in 1932. Due to its experienced players and home advantage, England quickly established itself as the dominant side in those initial encounters – sowing seeds of an intense sporting rivalry that would last decades afterward.

The India National Cricket Team vs England Cricket Team Timeline showcases several turning points. After independence, India made steady strides toward creating a more equitable rivalry with England. A notable step was its 1951 series win at Madras led by Vijay Hazare and featuring Dilip Sardesai and Sunil Gavaskar’s batsmanship; later that decade their 1971 tour to England marked another major turning point when Ajit Wadekar spearheaded an unprecedented 1-0 series win on English soil against Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Bishan Singh Bedi’s spin bowling duo helped lead Ajit Wadekar’s charge; followed by their 1971 tour to England led by Ajit Wadekar and inspired by Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Bishan Singh Bedi’s spin bowling respectively with Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Bishan Singh Bedi spin, India secured its first ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever first ever tour against them;

Since that time, over 140 Tests have taken place between India and England. Though England still leads overall wins by a slight margin, India has been steadily closing the gap as their rivalry progresses and both teams continue to evolve and produce records of their own. Fans enjoy witnessing both teams compete fiercely against one another; clashes between teams provide fans with constant entertainment while inspiring legends such as Sachin Tendulkar (known as ‘Little Master) and Sir Ian Botham who both achieved cricketing immortality by their brilliant displays against England.

Beyond just cricketing field battles; rivalries also serve to influence national cultures while also serving to bridge gaps between countries by providing mutual benefits such as cultural exchange.

The first Test match

With the series tied at 2-2 and a fifth Test at Lord’s in sight, England must seize control from India in the final session at Lord’s. Even after being reduced from their first-innings total of 396 to just 361, England struggled to make much progress as Akash Deep delivered accurate deliveries that extracted variable bounce from Vauxhall End – Harry Brook and Ben Duckett both fell to his bowling, providing variable bounce that rendered their batsmen harmless.

India’s batsmen were outmatched on day one at The Oval and virtually eliminated in the second innings, yet Ravindra Jadeja has shown great resilience with the bat – amassing two fifty-plus scores and looking poised to break Sunil Gavaskar’s batting record with another.

An England attack without injured Chris Woakes and Jofra Archer could not find an effective strategy to take away the game from India, who reached 339/6 at tea before bad light interrupted play and This chapter in the India Cricket Team Vs England Cricket Team Timeline was marked by a dramatic finish where India fell just 35 runs short, despite Josh Tongue’s five-wicket haul.

Josh Tongue had an impactful second innings performance, trapping KL Rahul lbw after an inadvertent edge to first slip and dismissing Washington Sundar early after closing his face too early and missing an attempt at flicking off full deliveries from Ollie Pope – providing Tongue with five wickets in total for this match.

The second Test match

Shubman Gill led India to a massive 336-run victory at Edgbaston and evened up their five-match series 1-1, smashing twin tons in both innings to set up victory before teatime. Support from Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant saw them join Shubman Gill to help seal India’s triumph before teatime. Meanwhile Akash Deep was an unlikely hero, taking six wickets as he filled in for Jasprit Bumrah to help secure India victory before teatime.

Early in day five, he struck Ollie Pope and Harry Brook to end England’s hopes of salvaging the Test, returning later that day to bowl England out for 271 runs en route to taking an incredible 10 wicket haul on debut.

India finally broke their Edgbaston jinx after 58 years with an emphatic win that will surely spur them on to greater performances at Lord’s and bring glory back home with them in England.

Both teams had endured an exhausting week of cricket, leaving both physically and mentally exhausted. England faced immense pressure as they attempted to avoid being whitewashed while India kept up momentum by winning one Test after another. With Jofra Archer potentially available for Lord’s final Test match and Gus Atkinson potentially returning for Gus Atkinson’s return; tension is sure to run high during what promises to be an outstanding contest!

The third Test match

Lord’s witnessed another exciting end to day three of the third Test against India as England’s bowlers tore through India’s top order. India appeared headed towards victory when Jofra Archer claimed Ravindra Jadeja and Karun Nair in successive overs from Ravindra Jadeja and Karun Nair respectively, but England turned things around thanks to bowlers like Archer.

With India still trailing by 181 runs with Jofra Archer taking three wickets during one over from Jofra Archer they seemed set for victory but Jofra Archer struck again with two wickets off Jofra Archer overpowered their bowlers and England claimed all but two inextricaciese bowlers took control when Jofra Archer removed Ravindra Jadeja and Karun Nair consecutively overs – leaving England short when Archer took three scalps from India during one over from Karun Nair for one wickets!

Lower-order partnerships held the visitors in check and set up an exciting contest. KL Rahul’s unbeaten 177-ball century helped set India back on course while Ravindra Jadeja provided some resilient resistance of his own against England lower order batsmen.

Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse’s late wicket burst was decisive, taking four wickets in just 18 overs to turn the match on its head and keep it close. Jaiswal fell first when he top-edged an Archer delivery straight to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith; Carse then caught Nair in front before striking Rahul squarely on the pads with an offcut delivery that was given out upon review.

Rishabh Pant then endured an injury scare after falling at the wicket to a fast delivery from Woakes that hit him on the pads. Pant was taken off and Dhruv Jurel took his place for the remainder of the match; this marks a second instance in this series that an Indian wicketkeeper has been injured in this fashion.

The fourth Test match

As India and England gear up to play their final Test match of their long tour, both teams face an uphill struggle for survival. Key players on both sides have been hit hard by physical and mental fatigue after playing five Test matches within seven weeks, so Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at what each side have at stake for The Oval’s showpiece clash.

Day 3 at The Oval was full of drama as England attempted to gain control of the match through Harry Brook and Joe Root’s spin attack, knocking India’s batting into submission. But late in the day Mohammed Siraj struck again to remove Zak Crawley with an exquisite inswinging yorker from Mohammed Siraj and take back control.

Ravindra Jadeja gets off to an early start in this innings by hitting Archer’s delivery past mid-wicket for four. Four overs later Washington Sundar completes his half century off 39 balls by hitting four boundaries and four sixes.

At this point, England’s Josh Tongue delivered another surprise when his bouncer struck Siraj on the helmet and hit his face, inflicting serious head trauma that required medical attention to stop. Siraj suffered bleeding on his forehead from this strike alone!

Siraj was forced off of the field after this, with Prasidh Krishna taking up number eleven before rain came pouring down, leading to its abandonment and forcing Siraj out for good. With no final Test match set to take place until Monday in Mumbai, series remains tied at 2-2 with final match taking place there on May 18.

The fifth Test match

After an eventful day of Test cricket between England and India, they appear poised for a classic draw in an intense Test series. Even with Chris Woakes injured, both sides appear eager to capture wickets quickly in order to end proceedings before nightfall arrives.

After tea, Joe Root scored his 39th Test century and looked on course for victory until Prasidh Krishna struck with a devastating leg break to break him free and send the Indian crowd euphoric. When Jacob Bethell then fell at the other end, it proved enough for England to fall six wickets short and 35 runs short of winning their series win.

With just 3.4 overs remaining in the innings, The Oval seemed poised for one of its most memorable days in Test cricket history – only for bad light and rain to cut short proceedings early.

Harry Brook and Joe Root both succumbed to late drops, yet India’s night watchman Yashasvi Jaiswal wasn’t about to let an opportunity slip away. Liam Dawson dropped him at second slip on 20 before Zak Crawley later missed an attempt at long leg. Jaiswal, dropped twice, stood firm till the end. The match ended in a dramatic draw due to bad light and rain, securing a 2-2 series result — one of the most thrilling conclusions in the India Cricket Team Vs England Cricket Team Timeline.

By Editor

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