Smiles, shades and a new period: Team India arrives in England for five-match collection; first Test begins on June 20 | Cricket News

Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah and new captain Shubman Gill (Video grabs)

Team India touched down in England on Saturday, kicking off preparations for the five-match Test collection that marks the start of the 2025–27 ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. This collection additionally indicators the beginning of a new period for Indian cricket, following the Test retirements of stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.The BCCI shared a behind-the-scenes video on social media capturing the crew’s arrival at Heathrow Airport. The footage showcased a relaxed but centered Indian squad, with laughter and light-hearted banter flowing freely as they put together for the high-profile collection.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!In a second that has already gone viral, tempo spearhead Jasprit Bumrah was heard joking, “Raat me bande ne chasme pahne huwe hai” (The man is sporting shades at night time), simply earlier than the video reduce to new captain Shubman Gill confidently striding by the airport sporting sun shades. The change gave followers a glimpse into the crew’s chemistry because it transitions into a new management period.“Excited to be part of the Indian Test team,” stated a smiling Sai Sudharsan in the video. “Welcome to the UK,” he added, summing up the temper of the younger squad.WACTH:The collection, set between June and August 2025, can be performed at iconic venues: Headingley (Leeds), Edgbaston (Birmingham), Lord’s and The Oval (London), and Old Trafford (Manchester).Gill, who takes over as full-time Test captain, leads a facet in flux with a number of gamers together with R Ashwin additionally stepping away from the longest format. Meanwhile, a number of squad members had already arrived earlier in the UK, turning out for India A in a warm-up collection in opposition to the England Lions.

The second unofficial Test between India A and the England Lions started on June 6 in Northampton, offering essential match observe forward of the principle collection.England, reeling from their 4-1 defeat in India earlier this 12 months, have introduced a revamped squad for the first Test at Headingley. Veteran pacer James Anderson has retired, whereas Jonny Bairstow, Ben Foakes, and Ollie Robinson have been omitted.The first Test between India and England is scheduled to start on June 20, with each groups wanting to set the tone for the new WTC cycle.

India’s Test squad for England collection

Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, and Kuldeep Yadav.England squad for first Test: Ben Stokes (Durham, captain), Shoaib Bashir (Somerset), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Sam Cook (Essex), Zak Crawley (Kent), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Jamie Overton (Surrey), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jamie Smith (Surrey), Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire), and Chris Woakes (Warwickshire).