The Indian Cricket Team has seen some hard times in the last 6 months, particularly in test cricket. They have lost a home test series for the first time in 12 years, followed by a defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. Now, the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) has taken things seriously and would ask the Indian test players to be in touch with the red ball during the IPL 2025. The BCCI has decided, considering the upcoming IND vs ENG series. Currently, the Indian Team is busy in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
India vs England 5-Match Test Series 2025
Team India is set to play a 5-match away test series against England, starting from June 20 in Headingley, Leeds. They did well they played a 5-match test series against England and drew the series 2-2.
IND vs ENG 5-Match Series 2025 Schedule:
| MATCH | DATE | VENUE | TIME (IST) |
| 1st Test | June 20-24 | Headingly, Leeds | 3:30 PM |
| 2nd Test | July 02-06 | Edgbaston, Birmingham | 3:30 PM |
| 3rd Test | July 10-14 | Lord’s, London | 3:30 PM |
| 4th Test | July 23-27 | Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester | 3:30 PM |
| 5th Test | July 31-August 04 | Kennington Oval, London | 3:30 PM |
25 Days Gap Between IPL 2025 And IND vs ENG Series
The IND vs ENG series will begin on June 20. Before that, the Indian players will be busy in the IPL 2025 for their respective franchises. The IPL 2025 will commence on March 22 in Kolkata and the final will happen on May 25 at the same venue.
There will only be a 25-day gap between the IPL 2025 final and the first IND vs ENG test. It’s a short time considering the players have to switch from white-ball to red-ball. They also have to be with the family and then acclimatize to the English conditions in that short period. Also, Team India might play a practice game before the test series begins. All the things have to be done in between those 25 days.
The BCCI Has Set a Plan to Keep the Players Ready for England Tests
The BCCI has come up with a plan to keep the test players ready for the England tests during the IPL 2025. For that, the BCCI might ask the test players to participate in occasional red ball practice sessions. The players might also do unconventional activities related to red-ball cricket.
It seems like the BCCI has taken these steps after a back-to-back test series loss for Team India. We have seen in the past as well that the Indian players practiced with the red ball during the Indian Premier League (IPL). It also happened before the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2021 and 2023 Final, where India played the game after the IPL season and the turn-around time was less.
How the Plan will be Implemented?
As of now, how things will work out is not known. But, there was a meeting took place between the key figures of the Indian Team Management along with the BCCI decision-makers. The meeting happened in Dubai after the India vs Pakistan game.
Currently, the Indian Cricket Team is busy in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. They have qualified for the semifinal which will take place in Dubai on March 04. Before the semifinal, Team India will play their last Group Stage game against New Zealand on March 02.
Although the decision makers and the team management has discussed a roadmap of this plan, another meeting is expected to take place after the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The final of the tournament will take place on March 09.
Why did This Plan before the IND vs ENG series?
Since 2011, India has played 4 test series against England in England. All the series happened just after the IPL season, which didn’t allow the players to take a much-needed rest after almost 2 months of high-intensity tournaments.
In 2011, India lost the series 4-0 (4-match series). The 2014 5-match series ended with 3-1 in England’s favor. Team India also lost a 5-match series by 4-1 in 2018.
In the 2021 series, the results were different. Team India has managed to draw the series 2-2 (5-match series) with the last game happening after a year due to the COVID outbreak.
Now, the BCCI doesn’t want to take any risk. Also, the Indian test team is going through a transition phase with players like Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, R Ashwin, etc no longer a part of the side. It seems like Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, and Virat Kohli also have a few time left in tests, so they would like to end it on a high note.
Rohit and Virat, the two pillars of the Indian test batting line-up currently are not in good form in red-ball cricket. Let’s see how things panned out for Team India. One thing is for sure. The BCCI is considering the recent test series losses seriously.
Also Read: CSK Roped in Sridharan Sriram as Their Assistant Bowling Coach for IPL 2025
FAQs:-
(1) Which batter has scored the most runs in the last IND vs ENG test series?
The last IND vs ENG test series happened in 2024. India hosted England for a 5-match series, which they won by 4-1. In that series, Yashasvi Jaiswal has scored the most runs (712) with an average of 89.
(2) How many test series India has won in England?
India has won a total of 3 test series in England. They won the test series in 1971, 1986, and 2007 under the captaincy of Ajit Wadekar, Kapil Dev, and Rahul Dravid respectively.
