LEEDS, England :England won the toss and put India in to bat as the titans of test cricket get their five-match series under way at Headingley on Thursday, with both teams at very different stages of their journey.
Leeds was a vibrant scene ahead of the start of the series opener, with colourful India supporters especially keen to see how their team do without three recently-retired stalwarts of the game: Ravichandran Ashwin, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
India have not played a test on English soil without former skipper Kohli at the helm since 2011, with Shubman Gill, at 25, becoming his country’s fifth-youngest captain.
Gill’s counterpart, Ben Stokes, got the upper hand early on, winning the toss and putting the tourists in to bat first. History played its part in Stokes’ thinking – teams bowling first have won each of the previous six tests at Headingley.
This series begins a potentially era-defining period for Stokes and England coach Brendon McCullum, having enjoyed plenty of highs and lows over the past few years, with the Ashes series in Australia next up in the test format, starting in November.
While England’s batting lineup for the India opener has plenty of experience in it, their bowling attack is missing some big-hitters through injury. Seamers Josh Tongue and Brydon Carse amassing eight test appearances between them so far.
The Anderson–Tendulkar Trophy will be awarded in all future test series between the two sides, replacing the Pataudi Trophy in England and the Anthony De Mello Trophy in India.
