Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025: India to decide their playing XI for first Test after assessing pitch

India might find it hard to pick 11 players from the squad for the series opener at Headingley, Leeds. The first Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 will start from Friday, June 20, before which India will have to make a lot of tough choices. These choices are likely to depend on the nature of the surface at Headingley.

India A played the unofficial series of two matches against England Lions. What followed was an intra-squad match between India A and India, both of which had good performers. In the unofficial Tests, players like KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, and Anshul Kamboj performed well.

Likewise, in the intra squad match, players like Shardul Thakur, Sarfaraz, Rahul, and others performed well. Additionally, India’s main squad has players like Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish, Shardul, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, and a few others, whose selection will be difficult and depends purely on the playing conditions.

How are the playing conditions in Headingley, Leeds?

Despite it being summer in England, the weather conditions are likely to be overcast for the majority of the series. Barring the last Test match, which will take place at The Oval, other venues might help pacers a lot. Especially with the Dukes balls, the pacers will always be in the game, even with the old ball.

Dukes balls swing late after getting old and make the life of the batters difficult. Headingley usually has a lot in it for the pacers, which leads to low scores and collapses. Hence, it might not be a surprise if the teams get bundled out quickly in some instances in the series, like it happened in Ashes 2019 and on India’s tour of England in 2021.

As the first Test might witness overcast conditions it could mean India going in with an all-seam attack, which could potentially mean benching Kuldeep and Jadeja to pick Nitish and Shardul. With the progression of the series, the spinners might get more chances.

Disclaimer: This latest news is based on the author’s understanding, analysis, and instinct. As you review this information, consider the points mentioned and form your own conclusions.

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