The Indian cricket team arrived in Leeds on June 17, 2025, to face off in the first Test of a five-match series against England on June 20 at Headingley Stadium. Under the leadership of Shubman Gill, the team marks a new generation following the Test retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. A video posted on social media of the team's arrival and a dynamic photoshoot in Beckenham, filled with laughter and bonding. Harshit Rana, the young pacer with great promise, was also included in the team, strengthening India's back pacer attack.

The squad concluded preparation with a practice match in Beckenham, adjusting to England's harsh conditions. Key players like Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja sharpened their skills, while Gill worked on his batting. This series, as part of the 2025-27 ICC World Test Championship, gives India a chance for a rare Test series win in England, which they haven’t done since under Rahul Dravid in 2007. With head coach Gautam Gambhir back, the squad’s morale is high.

India's team combines experience and youth with the inclusion of Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, and Nitish Kumar Reddy sharing the pitch with veterans. However, England, led by Ben Stokes and mentored by Brendon McCullum, is a formidable task, having remained unbeaten in home Test series since 2022. The Headingley track, which is sure to favor a first-innings total of about 300, promises a fierce contest.

A New Chapter for Indian Cricket

Under Gill’s leadership, India aims to overcome their historical struggles in England, where they’ve won only three Test series in the last century. The young squad, backed by Gambhir’s strategic insights, is determined to make a mark.

Watch the video here

TEAM INDIA ARRIVED IN LEEDS FOR THE FIRST TEST. [RevSportz]

- All the best 🇮🇳 India hasn't won a Test series in England in last 18 years. pic.twitter.com/mnqNcnvWYt

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) June 17, 2025

See Also: Suryakumar Yadav heads to London ahead of England Test series

The Leeds opener will be full of drama, with India's pace attack led by Bumrah and backup pacer Rana pitted against England's aggressive batsmen Joe Root and Ollie Pope. Supporters are looking for an exciting beginning to this centenary encounter.

The Indian team is currently on a tour of England. From today, the players are playing a practice match among themselves. This is a four-day match. On the first day, Friday, the players and support staff observed a minute of silence before the start of play and came onto the field wearing black armbands.

Team India will play a five-match Test series in England, starting from June 20. The team has already started its preparations. Before this intra-squad match, Team India played two practice matches against the England Lions. Now, the Indian players will play a match among themselves as part of their final preparations.

Team India wore black bands during the practice match. When the players came out to play, they observed a minute's silence. The support staff also took part in this. All the players wore black bands on their arms. Team India took this step to pay tribute to the victims of the plane crash that happened in Ahmedabad yesterday. An Air India plane crashed in Ahmedabad shortly after takeoff, and all the passengers on board lost their lives. To express grief, the Indian team observed silence and wore black bands.

On Thursday, June 12, Air India’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which was flying to London Gatwick, crashed just after takeoff from Ahmedabad. Out of the 242 people on board, only one person survived.

Also Read -Why Are Players Wearing Black Armbands In South Africa vs Australia WTC Final?

The BCCI shared photos of the team wearing black bands on social media. The post read, "The players and members of support staff involved in the intra-squad game in Beckenham are wearing black armbands. A minute's silence was also observed today to pay homage to the victims of the Ahmedabad plane crash, as a mark of respect for the lives lost and solidarity with the affected families."

Team India observing a minute's silence to pay homage to the victims of the Ahmedabad plane crash. pic.twitter.com/B2p5WEL2l0

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) June 13, 2025

At the same time, the final match of the ICC World Test Championship is being played between Australia and South Africa at Lord’s in England. Today is the third day of the match. In this match too, players from both teams were seen wearing black bands. They also did this to pay tribute to the victims of the Ahmedabad plane crash.

According to reports, India head coach Gautam Gambhir, flew back to India on Friday due to a family emergency. News agency PTI reported that he returned to attend to his mother, who has been admitted to a hospital in New Delhi due to health issues. The Indian Test team, led by Shubman Gill, is currently in the UK for a five-match Test series against England, which will start on June 20 in Leeds.

In a social media moment that has raised as much admiration as it has surprise, Bollywood actress and wife of Indian cricketing legend Virat Kohli, Anushka Sharma, liked a viral post celebrating the sacrifices made by army men while appearing to draw a parallel with celebrities such as actors and cricketers. The post, initially put up by user @Mahiyank_78, read, "Days like these make you realize that Army men are the real heroes, not Bollywood actors or cricketers."

The post struck a chord with many for its sentiment of paying tribute to India's military, particularly during national sorrow or calamity. The post gained some surprise publicity, though, when fans observed that Anushka Sharma liked the reel. Her outspoken support, combined with her relationship with national cricket star Virat Kohli, sparked mixed reactions across the internet.  Though some loved her salute to real-world heroes, others were confused by it, thinking that it was a veiled criticism of celebrity culture—broadly defined, including her own husband.

Virat Kohli, whose life is consistently glorified as a cricket hero and one of the world's most popular sporting personalities, receives immense adulation from fans, placing him on par with national icons. Therefore, the contrast implied in the post—and Anushka's stamp of approval—was sure to leave eyebrows furrowed.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Bakchod Billi (@bcbilliofficial)

Also read: 'Test cricket needs Virat' - Legendary West Indian batter asks Virat Kohli to reconsider his retirement decision

Fans React: "Was That a Subtle Message or Misread?"

The post's like has now sparked a spectrum of feelings on social media. While some users appreciated Anushka's realistic outlook, others thought it was an act done in bad faith that unintentionally belittled celebrities such as Kohli, who are role models themselves. "If even family members begin supporting such posts, what will fans take away from it?" one user asked.

Some fans argued it was likely an innocent acknowledgment of the armed forces rather than a targeted message against cricketers. Still, the timing—coinciding with Kohli’s rumored consideration of Test retirement—only intensified speculations. Anushka, known for her straightforward views, has not responded to the reactions yet.

While the debate continues, one thing is certain: in the social media era, even a single like can say a thousand words and trigger national debates.

Former Indian captain and wicketkeeper-batsman Ms Dhoni recently made his podcast debut, In this he has highlighted his cricketing journey. The former captain retired from international cricket in August 2020 with a small Instagram Post, now he is only active in the Indian Premier League (IPL), he plays for Chennai Super Kings which is his 18th IPL season. He is been playing in the category of uncapped player where CSK has retained him for 4 crore rupees.
CSK has exercised a revised rule that allows players who haven't played an international game for five years can be categorised as uncapped players. Ms Dhoni is the first captain to win all ICC trophies and as captain of CSK, he has won 5 IPL trophies for his team. Dhoni recently made his podcast debut where he shared insights of his cricketing career. 

Read More: Watch: Virat Kohli reflects upon his emotional 15-years bond with Rohit Sharma ahead of MI vs RCB clash

MS Dhoni Podcast Debut
 Ms Dhoni recently made his podcast debut appearance which was hosted by known content creator Raj Shamani, who has his own podcast channel too. But this podcast is only available in the Dhoni app only, During the conversation there were lots of questions which were answered by the former captain graciously, it seemed he was also excited to share his views and re-live the memories that become a passport to his diaries. 
During the interaction, he was asked to pick any opening pair, one bowling spell, and an all-rounder that he would like to see playing together. His reply was he would keep all the categories with Indian players, where names of Shewag and Sachin for the opening, and Yuvi for the rounder category and mentioned when you watch them playing, you feel that no one can be better than them. But cricket is always changing it's not certain, It is very difficult to choose the best opener, but I have seen them play. See, when Yuvi was hitting 6 sixes, I did not have to see anyone else.

Players MS Dhoni would like to see play together:

Sehwag, Sachin and Ganguly (At their prime). Also talked about Yuvi's six sixes in the end.

The most secure cricketer ❤ @msdhoni pic.twitter.com/DEBKPBqTFK

— ` (@WorshipDhoni) April 6, 2025

 Why should I choose one player? There have been players who have won many matches for the team. Yes, earlier. There was no coverage like this. Earlier also there were many such performances which I do not know because earlier all these could not be recorded. Today's generation doesn't know about this which he shared in the podcast. 
Never Thought I Would Play For India
When asked about his cricketing earlier journey whether he thought that he would be winning a World Cup for India. "Dhoni said I never had any idea for playing for India, back then he used to live in Ranchi. Earlier it was Bihar now, it is Jharkhand.  There was no history of players coming from there, When we were in school, we used to play with tennis balls and at that time I used to bowl, I used to play with my seniors where I was told to do wicketkeeping.
So playing cricket with people senior to me was very important for me. Playing with seniors helped me. I did nothing else apart from that, time is gracious to me and I have achieved all this and I am grateful for it. 

Team India achieved their second assignment in Champions Trophy beating New Zealand by 4 wickets, which was quite tricky at the end but Indian batters managed to pull things off. With that due India won their third Champions Trophy silverware. The match preceded New Zealand winning the toss and elected to bat first in a high-pressure match. Where Rachin Ravindra and Will Young gave a flying start to the proceedings though with small fielding errors team India back with quick 3 wickets.

With the help of Darryl Mitchell and Bracewell 50s New Zealand landed to a fighting total of 251.In reply indian captain and vice captain took the charge and took the score into limping high and reached 100 mark quite easily. Soon New Zealand bounced back and teared India with three successive wickets though Indian players strained good partnerships despite losing wickets in intervals but it was Jadeja and Rahul who finished the proceedings.

Read more: Suresh Raina Advices Fans To Cheer For Rohit Sharma

Indian Team Celebrations

After the loss of the 2023 World Cup at home it was quite a remarkable comeback to heal up the wounds. First India won their second T20 World Cup in June 2024 beating South Africa and now the Champions Trophy triumph has filled the Indian team with joyful tears. Even legends like Sunil Gavaskar couldn't hold up their emotions and were dancing like a child near the post-match ceremony. That aggravated how much important this victory means to captain Rohit Sharma and his team. 

Rohit Sharma was awarded with Man of the Match award peaking at the right moment and chose the finals to help India with a steady start with his valuable 75 runs. Even ICC chairman Jai Shah too couldn't hold up his emotions and caught up engaging with Shreyas Iyer during the celebration time. It's been reported that Indian players are awarded, 10 crore cash prize. 

Indian players reached home separately.

It was expected Indian players would be reaching with the team but there is slight change as IPL window is nearing, players have been relieved from their national duties. So players were spotted reaching to their respective cities along with their families not with the team. They were received with a grand welcome by fans.

Read more: LSG Fast Bowler Mayank Yadav To Skip First Half Of IPL

Captain Rohit Sharma reached Mumbai with his family and received huge applause from fans and the same with Axar landing in Gujrat received a warm welcome. As IPL is on the cards players are taking a small break before getting into the IPL season of 2025 after the due they will join the pre-camp season which is been accelerated by some of the franchises. 

Jasprit Bumrah shared his first reaction on social media, congratulating Team India on winning moment their third ICC Champions Trophy with a win over New Zealand. Though he couldn't play due to injury, Bumrah was seen at the stadium during India’s group-stage match against Pakistan, cheering for the Indian team.

Bumrah Instagram post, “Played like true champions! Congratulations to the entire team on a wonderful tournament and a well deserved win!".

Jasprit Bumrah applauds Team India’s triumph in the Champions Trophy 2025 🇮🇳🏆🎉 pic.twitter.com/72LgL66Bna

— CricTracker (@Cricketracker) March 9, 2025

Bumrah missed the Champions Trophy 2025 due to an injury, which was a big concern for India before the tournament. But Rohit Sharma led the team well and won their third title with a magnificent victory over New Zealand.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by jasprit bumrah (@jaspritb1)

ALSO READ: Rohit Sharma Shuts Down Journalist with Epic Response, Confirms Retirement Plans

He got injured during the first innings of the Sydney Test in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and couldn’t bowl in the final innings. The Indian Cricket Board tried to speed up his recovery, hoping he could play in the Champions Trophy 2025, but in the end, he ruled out from the Champions Trophy 2025.The Indian team is hoping Bumrah recovers soon so he can play in the IPL 2025 and the Test series against England.

Indian Team captain Rohit Sharma is considered a global figure in the sports industry. Recently India won their last Champions Trophy league match against New Zealand beating them by 44 runs. The victory of the match wasn't yet slatted another controversy sparked. The Congress spokesperson Mohammad Shama made a controversial statement on Rohit Sharma stating "Rohit Sharma is fat for a sportsman! Need to lose weight! And of course, the most unimpressive Captain India has ever had,

Once the tweet was posted by her it took a mass recognition and flawless comments were flooded on X. This showed the mass outrage of the fans for the person who gave the glory of the second T20 World Cup for India in 2024 which happened in West Indies. After such huge flooded comments, the Congress Party took immediate action and stated that the remarks were from a single-person point of view, neither the party nor its members would degrade our national players and said to remove the tweet. 

Read More: Jos Butler Pens Down From England Captaincy

Shabana Mohammad Deletes The Tweet

After the outrage from fans and ex-cricketers she had to delete the tweet immediately and condemn that she didn't say anything wrong in that. It was a generic remark by her side. She moves on to say she had seen previous captains like Kapil Dev, Sourav Ganguly, Ms Dhoni and Virat Kohli who set the standards by their fitness complex into their captaincy. In a democratic country like India we have all the rights to speak. 

Further concluding she said I am not body shaming anyone here but look at your captain and say what I said wasn't wrong. The current ruling party didn't go back BJP, their spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari too commented on her remark stating Shame on Congress Now they are behind our Indian captain, Now do they expect Rahul Gandhi to play cricket after failing in politics? And using words like mediocre to our captain. 

Read More: Once Again Afghanistan And Australia Face Other In Quater Final

 Former Cricketer Yograj Singh Comes For Support

Former cricketer Yograj singh lashed Shabana Mohammad who deligated the Indian captain Rohit Sharma. He said people aren't ashamed stating these types of comments to our cricketers who represent our team globally such people should be given severe punishments. You are from political fertinity you should focus more on that. 

They have no right to say these types of things, Cricket is considered a religion in India there were a lot of things said to our cricketers when they lost against New Zealand and Australia its a game it happens. If I were the Prime Minister of India, I would have asked them to pack their bags and leave my country immediately. 

India will play against New Zealand at the Dubai International Stadium, aiming to keep their good form and their winning streak alive after securing their place in the semifinals. With two wins from two matches in the Champions Trophy 2025. In their last game, Virat Kohli’s brilliant century makes India a comfortable win over Pakistan while chasing 242.

India vs New Zealand Predicted Playing XI, Champions Trophy 2025: Rohit Sharma misses out, India likely to change the team.

In CT 2025, India is in a good position, they have some injury concerns before the big match. Captain Rohit Sharma, who had some discomfort against Pakistan, is still uncertain. If he isn’t fully fit, India might rest him, with KL Rahul starting the innings and Rishabh Pant joining the playing XI against Newzland. Mohammed Shami is also a concern after looking uncomfortable in the last match against Pakistan. Since he has had injury issues before and Jasprit Bumrah is already missing, India might not want to take any chances before the Semifinals. Even if Shami is fit, Arshdeep Singh could get a chance as the team looks to manage player workloads before the knockout match.

ALSO READ: They Were Eating Plate Full Of Bananas In Drinks Break Which Shocked Me Says Wasim Akram

🚨 PLAYING XI UPDATE vs NZ 🚨
(Times Now Report)

- No Rohit Sharma and Shami. (If they not Fit)
- KL to open with Gill
- Arshdeep and Pant will be in the XI

📷 ICC via Getty Images pic.twitter.com/lo2QReyijx

— CricketGully (@thecricketgully) February 25, 2025

India’s Probable XI vs New Zealand:

Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana.

If Rohit Sharma doesn’t play, Shubman Gill and KL Rahul are likely to open the innings. Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and Rishabh Pant will play in the middle order, while Hardik Pandya is a skillful all-rounder. The spin attack is expected to remain the same with Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav. Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana could handle the pace bowling.

Former Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Yousuf stated over how Rohit Sharma came onto his own on tricky pitches. He pummels bowlers, establishes the marching orders for India’s batting order and makes difficult scenarios seem simple. With his stroke play and calmness, Rohit inspires confidence in his teammates and exudes legendary traits in important innings.

Leader’s Knock

 In the recently discussed match, He played a crucial innings maintaining a strike rate of 113.88 and with a returned effort of 41 runs off 36 balls (7 boundaries), showed that with his proven hit for finding the gaps and keeping the scoreboard ticking. his proactive approach alleviates pressure on the middle order and lays a solid foundation for building innings.

Yousuf does well to mention the psychological impact of an opener like Rohit, who is destructive. A captain or senior player taking the lead from the start sends a strong message to his team and the opposition. Rohit’s attacking but methodical approach makes it difficult for the bowlers to change their plans and breaks their momentum.

The ‘GOAT’ Factor

A tweet with GOAT emoji and Yousuf’s comment described that Rohit Sharma’s impact is ‘unreal’ He is perhaps the greatest all-format player of the modern era, the best man in any situation to inspire his group. It’s not just about Rohit’s numbers; it’s what he brings to the crease. His sane approach, the quality of his shot making and counterpunching under stress have become a necessity for Indian cricket.

Mohammad Yousuf: Rohit Sharma makes tough pitches easier with his skills which sets a positive tone for the rest of the batting lineup.

The impact of Rohit Sharma is unreal.🐐

pic.twitter.com/FhQa2XbxMg

— Rohan💫 (@rohann__45) February 22, 2025

Also Read :Watch : Pakistan played indian national anthem during Australia vs England match

Beyond The Numbers

Rohit Sharma’s contributions are never far from the heart of the matter, whether leading a tough chase or constructing a big total. He is not only a batter; he is a game-changer under pressure in vital matches, someone who plans attacks in little packets and provides lift to other players on his side of the ledger; India needs a player of his ilk. As recognition for his impact continues from cricketing greats like Mohammad Yousuf, Rohit Sharma's legacies are sure to become more entrenched.

Mohammad Shami is back on to cricket field where he left the World Cup 2023 due to an ankle injury, coming back into another ICC event is not that easy job. Even after coming back and delivering straight away requires a different type of strength. Mohammad Shami was in elite form in World Cup 2023 where his pace and wicket-taking ability had become a serious headache to the opposition. 
It was during the final of the World Cup 2023 and India was poised with a mere target to chase, It was up to bowlers who would give the best outcome of the match. But after a few overs when Shami came to bowl he started feeling uncomfortable which resulted in his ankle injury. 
The Pain To Leave The Field
Mohammad Shami revealed in his latest interview that it was really painful not for the pain but leaving the field without delivering for the country. He lost the hope of coming back in the blue jersey. He encountered the incident with the doctor asking when he would be back on the cricket field. His reply was simple first his job is to make him walk, then jog and run the hard yards. After listening to his words carefully, I thought it would take a long time and lots of thoughts were running through my mind
Read More: Virat Kohli On And Off Form May Trouble India In ICC Champions Trophy
Whether I will back to the team will I be able to play for India? After my operation, my family became the biggest supporter of mine. After a few months, I was asked to walk, it was so nerve-wracking and so much pain thought it would be the end of mine. But my supporters became my biggest strength even BCCI gave their full support which gave me the strength to regain the confidence beneath me.
Striving the hunger back
It was hard and painful swollen knees to calm down monitoring day and night, but it was all worth it for Shami because his aim to play for India was way more than it. After one year of hard training and rehabilitation finally, it was all worth it for Shami. Still, he was kept on hold for the Bgt series not to give hard yards because BCCI didn't want to take the necessary steps to endure further injury. 

Due to Bumrah's injury in the recent BGT series, no main experienced bowlers were there for the England series and ICC Champions Trophy so Shami was fast-tracked and tried for the England series where he was clicking the clock better. Then what he was on the team sheet of the Champions Trophy. Shami played the first match of the ICC Champions Trophy where he took 5 wickets and restricted Bangladesh to 227. This comeback was not easy for Shami but the desire to play for his country and the toughness he possessed was great.