What happened last time Indian cricket team played Test match in Leeds?

The Indian cricket team are set to begin their 2025 to 2027 World Test Championship (WTC) with their series against England on Friday. Shubman Gill and his side will play the first Test match at the iconic Headingley Stadium in Leeds. Having lost three of their most experienced stars, the Indian team will be looking to start well against an English side who will be tough to beat at home. 

Headingley is not an easy place to play, as the pitch tends to aid the seam bowlers. It is expected to be hot for the first few days with the temperatures in the 30s. English conditions, though, cannot be taken lightly, as the cloud cover can bring the seam bowlers into the equation. 

England and India have played seven games at the Headingley stadium in Leeds. On four occasions, England have come out on top, while India has won twice, with one game ending in a draw. India’s first win in Leeds came in 1986 and then the next Test match was played in 2002, where Sourav Ganguly’s men registered an innings win. India’s last game at this venue came during the 2021 under the captaincy of Virat Kohli. 

Team India looking to banish unpleasant Leeds memories. 

The Virat Kohli-led Indian cricket team went to Leeds to play the third Test with a 1-0 lead in the series. The first Test had ended in a draw, while India had won the second game at Lord’s on the final day. It was Kohli who won the toss and chose to bat first on what was an overcast opening day at Leeds. 

James Anderson and Craig Overton picked three wickets each while Ollie Robinson and Sam Curran’s brace of wickets bowled out India for just 78 runs. The best batter for India was Rohit Sharma with 19, while Ajinkya Rahane was the second-best batter with 18 runs. 

England replied with 432 on the board and took a huge lead of 354 as Joe Root led the batting charts. Root top scored with 121 off 165 balls with 14 hits to the fence before he was dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah. Dawid Malan (70), Haseeb Hameed (68), and Rory Burns (61) were the other main contributors. For India the best bowler was Mohammed Shami with 4/95 from 28 overs. 

In the second innings, Team India batted better as Rohit Sharma scored 59 off 156 balls despite losing partner KL Rahul early for eight runs. Cheteshwar Pujara, batting at number three, scored 91 off 189 balls, while Kohli scored 55 off 125 balls as the pair added 99 runs for the third wicket. Ollie Robinson dismissed both set batters and ended with 5/65 from his 26 overs as England won the game by an innings and 76 runs.