IND vs ENG: Shubman Gill's India begin new Test era with Sai Sudharsan debut, Karun Nair comeback; England bowl first at Headingley

India has embarked on a new chapter in Test cricket under the leadership of Shubman Gill. England won the toss and elected to bowl first in the opening Test of the five-match Anderson–Tendulkar Trophy series at Headingley.

England captain Ben Stokes and India skipper Shubman Gill at the toss.

Sai Sudharsan received his much-anticipated Test debut for India, while Karun Nair made a comeback to the playing XI after more than eight years. These changes signal a significant transition in India's middle order. Gill confirmed that Sudharsan would bat at No. 3, and Nair would bat at No. 6.

Gill acknowledged that he would also have preferred to bowl first. "Might be a bit tough in the first session but it should get better for batting," said Gill. He added that preparation had been excellent, with the team having played a practice game.

This match marks India’s first Test since the retirements of veteran players Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and R Ashwin.

Stokes explained that the decision to bowl first was due to the favorable early English conditions. "Headingley is a very good cricket wicket. We want to try and use the early conditions," he stated.

India vs England 1st Test Playing XIs

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