The first look of the pitch in Handingley, Leeds ING Vs. Eng. 1st is out of the ENG 1st test and it is in favor of the bowlers
The first look of the surface at the Headingley in Leeds for India vs England 1st Test is out and suggests that it could be heavily favouring the fast bowlers. Both sides will kick-start their new World Test Championship cycle with this game which is the first of the five-match series. Traditionally, the pitches at Headingley have favoured bowlers, especially in the earlier stages of the contest.
IND vs ENG 1st Test: How the pitch looks like
A first look of the pitch at Headingley, accessed by Times of India, suggests that the grass has been trimmed and it is not a green top wicket. While India might be tempted to bowl first in the contest, a lot could depend on the weather conditions. Cloudy and overcast conditions at the start of the game could mean that the ball will swing around more, giving pacers the advantage.
Going by the first visuals of the pitch, It is likely that India will go ahead with a bowling heavy playing XI featuring the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur. While there are very high chances that Kuldeep Yadav might not play in the contest, Gill could also contemplate on using Arshdeep Singh in Headingley, given that he can get to swing the ball both ways.
However, it is pertinent to point out that the visuals of the surface are from a day before the contest. Therefore, it may appear to be deceptive in terms of suggesting that it could favour the pacers. Besides, with the weather in England highly unpredictable, it will all come down to the conditions at the toss time which will determine what teams would want to do.
The average first innings score at Headingley, Leeds is 298 runs. This, however, varies year to year based on weather conditions.
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IND vs ENG 1st Test: First look of Headingley pitch out, appears to be deceptively good for pacers
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