A young and untested Indian Test side, led by debutant captain Shubman Gill, begins its toughest examination yet this week: a five-match series in England, starting at Headingley.
It marks the start of the fourth World Test Championship (WTC) cycle and the first contest for the newly renamed Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy, promising both rich drama and formidable challenges.
England have never made a WTC final. India reached the first two but lost - to New Zealand in 2021 and Australia in 2023. A winning start would lift either side's new campaign.
India thrashed England 4-1 in their last meeting, but that was on spin-friendly pitches at home. In England, seaming conditions will test adaptability, technique and mental grit - especially for the batters.
England's Bazball era - led by Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum - divides opinion, but the results are harder to argue with: since 2022, they haven't lost a home series and have won a majority of their Tests.
