'Play with purpose' is the new motto of Team India as a Gautam Gambhir-coached and Shubman Gill-led young Indian side gear up to embark on a tricky transition in challenging English conditions. The first Test of the five-match series between England and India will be played at Headingley, Leeds, starting June 20.

This will mark the beginning of the post-Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin era in Indian cricket. While Ashwin retired from international cricket late last year, Kohli and Rohit bade farewell to Test cricket in May this year. India will also miss experienced pacer Mohammed Shami for this series.

While Karun Nair has been recalled into the side after almost eight years, youngsters Sai Sudharsan and Arshdeep Singh will look to cement their places in India's red-ball setup.

“All I want to say is that there’s two ways of looking at this tour. One is, we are without our three most experienced players or we got this phenomenal opportunity to do something special for the country. When I look around in this group, I think the hunger, the passion, the commitment to do something special. I think if we make sacrifices, if we come out of our comfort zone, if we start fighting, not every day but every session, every hour and every ball, I think we can have a memorable tour,” Gambhir said.

25-year-old Gill, a 32-Test old cricketer, is set to become the fourth-youngest captain to lead India in Test cricket. Ahead of his India captaincy debut, Gill set the tone for the tour: "Let’s play every ball with a purpose."

“Let’s make each and every net session meaningful and let’s prepare like that. And let’s put ourselves under a little bit of pressure when we are going out there. It’s not about going out there and surviving, let’s try to find out our game — how we are going to play when we are put under pressure. Be it our bowlers or batters. Let’s play every ball with a purpose,” Gill said.

After the first Test in Leeds, the series caravan will move to Edgbaston (July 2–6), Lord's (July 10–14), Old Trafford (July 23–27), and The Oval (July 31–August 4).

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