India, June 29 -- India's long and grinding five-match Test series against England is already off to a rocky start, with a five-wicket defeat at Headingley piling early pressure on the Shubman Gill-led side. This is India's first major red-ball outing since Virat Kohli's retirement from Test cricket earlier this year, and the absence of his experience in crunch moments was felt. With Rohit Sharma also retiring from the format, the Test team has entered a transitional phase, one that will test the depth and maturity of a young group led by a relatively inexperienced captain.

The broader landscape across formats, however, paints a far more stable picture. Under Rohit Sharma, India clinched the T20 World Cup in 2024 and followed it up with ...