India, Aug. 19 -- England enter the opening Test under returning captain Joe Root, who begins his second stint as full-time Test skipper. Marcus Trescothick will serve as interim head coach before Stephen Fleming takes over later this year. Pakistan, meanwhile, have also undergone a leadership change, with Salman Ali Agha set to captain the side at Leeds in the absence of Babar Azam, who is recovering from a hand injury.

England will be keen to start the post-Stokes era with a victory after a difficult run of results. Their last multi-Test series win came against New Zealand in late 2024, while they subsequently drew 2-2 with India, suffered a 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia and lost 2-1 to New Zealand at home.

Pakistan also arrived with ...