June 16, 2025 - The five-match Test series between India and England is set to begin on June 20. A new era will start with this Test series. After the retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from Test cricket, Shubman Gill will begin his journey as the new Test captain. This will also be the first series of the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle.

The first match of the series will be played on June 20 at Headingley, Leeds. Even before the series has started, predictions have already begun about who will win. In this context, former South African fast bowler Dale Steyn has made a bold prediction. While speaking with Jio Hotstar, he also shared how many matches Team India will win and who he thinks will win the series.

Steyn 's Prediction

Steyn has said he believes the five-match Test series will be very close, but in the end, England will win it by 3-2. Speaking on JioHotstar, Steyn said, “All matches will be close, but every match will have a result. I think it will be in favour of England 3-2. There will be no one-sided win for any team, all five matches will be very close.”

Gill's Thoughts on Captaincy

The Indian captain also shared his thoughts before the big series. He said that more than trophies or records, he wants to create a team environment where every player feels safe and happy.

Gill added, “I know it can be a difficult place, especially with so much competition and the number of matches we play. But if I can make everyone feel secure, that will be my biggest success.”

Will Gill Lead India to History?

Winning a Test series in England has always been a big challenge for India. In the last 100 years, India has won a Test series in England only three times – in 1971, 1986, and 2007. The special thing is that each time, a captain who was either new or leading for the first time helped India to win. Ajit Wadekar did it in 1971, Kapil Dev in 1986, and Rahul Dravid in 2007. Now, the same kind of hope is being placed on Gill as he starts his journey as India’s Test captain.

India’s Squad

Team India’s squad for the five-match Test series includes Gill as captain and Rishabh Pant as vice-captain. The team also has Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudarshan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, and Nitish Reddy as batters. In the all-round department, India has Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, and Shardul Thakur. Dhruv Jurel is also part of the team as a wicketkeeper. The bowling unit includes Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, and Kuldeep Yadav.