India's head coach Gautam Gambhir silenced his detractors after leading the team, under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, to a Champions Trophy victory in Dubai earlier this month. However, he still has to establish his credentials in Test cricket, with the upcoming tour of England being a significant challenge. As the five-match series approaches in June, England opener Ben Duckett expressed confidence in his team's ability to capitalize on India's struggles, asserting that they "should" secure a victory.

Historically, India has visited England 19 times since their inaugural trip in 1932, achieving only three series victories on English soil, the most recent occurring in 2007. During the 2021 tour, the Virat Kohli-led team initially took a commendable 2-1 lead after four matches, but the fifth match was ultimately cancelled due to a Covid outbreak within the Indian squad. This match was later rescheduled for the following year in Birmingham, where England triumphed, preventing India from achieving a historic series win.

In an interview with Mail Sport, Duckett forecasted a similar outcome for India in the 2025 series, stating, "India at home is very different from India away. It's a side I feel we should beat and can beat. It'll be a good series."

'Nothing from Bumrah will surprise me'

Duckett also discussed the challenge of facing Jasprit Bumrah, noting that he is no longer a surprise opponent for him and that he feels confident in confronting both the Indian star and Mohammed Shami.

"I have previously faced him in a five-Test series. I understand his approach, and the advantage of that is my awareness of his skills," Duckett stated. "There will be no surprises for me. It will be a challenge, and Mohammed Shami's red-ball abilities are equally formidable as Bumrah's. However, if I can navigate through that initial spell, I believe there are runs to be scored."

Duckett and Bumrah clashed during the winter of 2024/25 when England toured India. The 31-year-old concluded a remarkable series, taking 19 wickets at an average of 16.89, but managed to dismiss Duckett only once, after he had scored 47 runs in that match. Duckett was the second-highest run-scorer for England, accumulating 343 runs, following Zak Crawley's 407. Notably, he scored 63 of those runs against Bumrah during the series. Conversely, he faced Shami in the 2016/17 season, where he managed only 18 runs against the right-arm bowler without being dismissed.

The five-match series, which will kick off the 2025/27 World Test Championship cycle, is scheduled to take place from June 20 to the first week of August.

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