The opening match of India's five-Test series against England at Headingley, Leeds, starting June 20, could face rain interruptions. Here is what the various weather forecasts say.
The match with kickstart both teams’ 2025-27 World Test Championship campaign. England have opted to bowl first after winning the toss. They have stuck with Ollie Pope at No.3, meaning Jacob Bethell misses out, while Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse, both back from injuries, have made a comeback.
Bowling first in Leeds 👊 pic.twitter.com/gE5nXIAfFc
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 20, 2025
India's batting order has undergone a makeover. KL Rahul will open alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, while Sai Sudharsan – fresh off a stellar IPL season – has been handed his Test debut at No.3. Shubman Gill slots in at No.4, filling the void left by Virat Kohli’s retirement. The middle order will feature Rishabh Pant and Karun Nair, the latter returning after an eight-year absence from international cricket, with Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur as the all-rounders.
All match days will start at 11:00am local time.
ENG vs IND, first Test day two: What is the weather forecast?
According to BBC Weather, "thundery showers" are expected on the afternoon of day two, with chances of rain peaking at 55 per cent at 4:00pm. Day three (Sunday) follows a similar pattern, with a 65 to 70 per cent chance of rain toward the end of the day. Conditions improve on Day 4, with only light showers expected during the first hour of play and around 1:00pm local time. However, the entire fifth day faces a rain threat, with probabilities ranging between 31 to 51 percent.
AccuWeather has a yellow warning for thunderstorms on day two, with chances of rain as high as 56 per cent around 3:00pm local time. Day three (70 per cent) faces the highest rain threat. Conditions improve on Day four (25 per cent) before deteriorating again to 60 per cent on the final day.
Google Weather is more optimistic about the chances of rain on day two, predicting 35 per cent at most at 4:00pm. "Light rain" is forecast for day 3, at 45 per cent probability. The remaining days, however, face less severe rain threats.
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