Imagine two of cricket’s legendary nations gathering on an idyllic ground under an endless summer sun to clash in an ancient battle that transcends stats with its passion, history, and unforgettable moments. It’s a rivalry that goes well beyond mere statistics. This thrilling contest between the England Cricket Team Vs India National Cricket Team continues to captivate fans worldwide with every match.
Beginning with England’s impressive run chase at Headingley and ending with India batting out at Old Trafford, both sides battled hard throughout and produced some of the most thrilling Test cricket ever seen in recent times.
| Date | Format | Match | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Jul 2025 | Test | ENG vs IND (5th Test, The Oval) | India won by 6 runs (close win) (AiScore) |
| 23 Jul 2025 | Test | ENG vs IND (4th Test) | India won (innings aggregate) (AiScore) |
| 10 Jul 2025 | Test | ENG vs IND (3rd Test) | England won by 22 runs (AiScore) |
| 02 Jul 2025 | Test | ENG vs IND (2nd Test) | India won by 336 runs (AiScore) |
| 20 Jun 2025 | Test | ENG vs IND (1st Test) | England won by 5 wickets (AiScore) |
India vs. England
The 2025 Test series between India and England began with an exciting 2-2 draw in Leeds. This was one of the finest Test series ever played in recent history and showcased some outstanding individual and team performances by both sides – an unlikely result given many former cricketers and pundits predicted an easy English win or at least clean sweep in their predictions.
On 27 June, England took control of their series opener at Headingley with ease, led by Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow who both scored hundreds.
Adil Rashid and Kuldeep Yadav bowlers also impressed greatly, particularly Kuldeep Yadav who displayed incredible speed and accuracy during bowling spells.
India and England began the second Test at Edgbaston on 10 July with India struggling to keep up with England’s fast scoring rate.
But thanks to Virat Kohli and Harshdeep Kamboj’s late fightback, India took it into a fifth day and secured an unlikely draw with two balls remaining – marking an unlikely result indeed!
By the third Test, tensions were running high between both teams. Play was interrupted due to rain after only eight overs had been completed and both captains sent back into their dressing rooms; similarly, in the fourth and final Test due to weather, it was called off after only 14 overs were played with both scores tied at 136-6.
The 1946-47 season for England had been difficult; they lost the Ashes 3-0 against Australia under Wally Hammond and suffered defeat against South Africa and Australia before prevailing 3-0 with their subsequent tour to South Africa and defeat.
Ian Botham and Graham Gooch led England to success during that subsequent campaign; Ian Botham being captain while Gooch led them against weakened Australian teams with 3 victories each.
In the 1980s, England experienced another difficult period as they battled strong opponents despite possessing great players such as Botham, Gooch and Tony Greig. Although botham became captain for the first time and led England to a historic win against Australia 3-2 at “Botham’s Ashes”, this victory proved pivotal and they went on to dominate limited-overs cricket throughout the 1990s and 2000s.
The Rivalry
Indian and English cricket has shared an enduring rivalry that spans over two centuries, becoming an essential element of cricketing folklore.
Although their clash may lack the raw edge associated with India vs Pakistan matches or South Africa vs Australia showsdowns, its battle has earned a special place in history due to some truly iconic moments.
Beginning in 1932, India made its international debut during a Test series against England. While they found their feet early on the international scene and matches were often one-sided affairs at first, as India became more competitive their rivalry grew stronger over time.
Today, England-India matches are among the world’s most watched Test matches, renowned for both teams’ style of play and thrilling contests that come with them.
Furthermore, both rivalrys have witnessed incredible individual performances from players on both sides; for instance, Sourav Ganguly swinging his jersey jubilantly from Lord’s balcony will remain embedded in many people’s memories as an unforgettable image.
Although England-India has recently struggled, their matches are among the biggest events in cricket due to the enormous stakes involved.
Each Test between these teams provides both nations a chance to show what they can bring on a world stage and vie for supremacy within cricket.
England will host India for their latest contest at Edgbaston Cricket Ground this summer; it is one of five Test matches to take place here this season and marks India’s return tour since 2012.
England have much to prove in this Test match against their arch-rivals India. At second in the ICC Test rankings, England need to win in order to advance to the semi-finals.
Their batting has let them down at times while bowling hasn’t met expectations; yet they will strive for success against arch-rivals Pakistan.
History
The competition between England and India dates back centuries; their first contest took place in 1739 while modern hostilities began after the foundation of the BCCI in 1928.
Both sides have seen ups and downs during this time, although England currently holds an edge when it comes to bilateral test series wins compared with India (146 wins for England as opposed to only 102), winning more ODI matches (183 compared to only 105) as well.
England have met multiple memorable test matches including classic Ashes matches featuring England legends Graham Gooch and Geoff Boycott who both represented England a full three year series!
India has seen impressive progress over the past decade, winning eight out of 12 test series since 2022 and dominating their home season by winning seven out of nine tests before making it to the semi-finals at 2021 World Cup where they ultimately lost out to New Zealand.
Both teams have faced domestic strife. India were forced to play their 2021 T20 World Cup final match against Pakistan in Sri Lanka due to unrest at home, when fans demonstrated against including Muslim players in their squad and protested their inclusion. This caused clashes between police and residents which left several injured as well as several shops being damaged.
An increasingly serious domestic problem between England and India has been their lack of an open dialogue, compounded by both nations being among the premier cricketing powers in the world, which puts both nations at stake if their relationship were to dissolve.
Tension between England and Australia has been further compounded by their respective participation in an International Cricket Council tournament for the first time in four years – drawing together some of the greatest teams on Earth. Yet tensions have eased thanks to some friendly exchanges between them over recent weeks as both nations attempt to maintain positive relations.
Scorecards
India and England have experienced a renewed rivalry due to England’s ultra-aggressive, modern style of play known as “Bazball.” But India have not given in.
T20 cricket provides them with an opportunity to showcase their powerful batting lineups; such was evident during this match at The Oval with Eoin Morgan scoring an unbeaten innings and Jos Buttler launching an all-out assault that enabled England to chase down an intimidating total total.
After bad light extended the fourth day, today’s final day of this epic Test at The Kia Oval will finally deliver the thrilling conclusion it deserves.
England’s batsmen will need to dig deep to retake Lord’s in five straight wins; their chances may be further diminshed if Chris Woakes, who suffered an apparent dislocated shoulder during fielding practice on day one, becomes unavailable for play.
Though the weather may have been miserable, this game has been filled with drama, with both teams producing some wonderful cricket.
England’s bowlers led by Sam Curran and Moeen Ali have performed admirably; however, India has scored with relentlessness at The Oval once more; they reached over 300 in their first innings this time!
Though memories of The Oval’s great fourth-innings win for India against England in 2022 may seem dim, it should be recalled that Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif’s fearless counterattack turned the contest into an epic contest that made headlines around the world.
England have made one change from their team that played at Lord’s, with Liam Dawson replacing Shoaib Bashir who will miss the rest of the series with a broken finger.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Varun Chakravarthy have also been called up for their debuts alongside Tom Banton as standbys; both three players have also been included in Trevor Bayliss’ T20I squads; an indication that their team is growing together.
