The 2025 India vs England Test series, also called the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, was an exciting and close contest.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has just released their ratings for the pitches and playing fields used in this series. These ratings help tell us how good the playing surfaces were at some of England’s most famous cricket grounds.
Out of the first four Test matches, the ICC said only the pitch at Headingley in Leeds was “very good.” This means it was excellent for fair and interesting cricket. The pitches at Edgbaston in Birmingham, Lord’s in London, and Old Trafford in Manchester were rated as “satisfactory.”
This means those pitches were okay but not outstanding. The rating for the pitch used in the fifth Test at The Oval in London has not been announced yet.
This series was full of excitement, with all five matches going the full five days. The series ended tied at 2-2, showing how closely matched both teams were. The Headingley pitch, which received a very good rating, offered fair conditions that benefited both batsmen and bowlers. For example, four Indian batsmen scored centuries in this game, and England successfully chased a challenging target of 373 runs.
The Edgbaston pitch, rated satisfactory, saw India win by 336 runs for the first time at that ground, thanks to strong batting. The pitch at Lord’s helped create a very close match that England won by just 22 runs. At Old Trafford, the pitch also rated satisfactory, India batted for almost two days in their second innings to secure a draw.
All the outfields in these venues were rated “very good.” This means the fields were smooth and good for the players. A good outfield helps the game flow and keeps players safe.
Compared to the Ashes series in 2023, where no pitch got a “very good” mark, the India-England 2025 series had better pitches overall, especially at Headingley. Many players played really well. India’s Shubman Gill scored the most runs with 754, followed by KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and Rishabh Pant.
For England, Joe Root, Harry Brook, and Ben Duckett also played very well and made important contributions. Among bowlers, India’s Mohammed Siraj took the most wickets, 23 in total, showing the bowlers had chances to shine as the matches went on.
The pitch rating for the last Test at The Oval isn’t out yet. But the match itself was very thrilling. India won by just 6 runs, the smallest margin of victory by runs in their Test cricket history. This close finish made the whole series even more memorable because of the hard work and fighting spirit from both teams.
The ICC gives pitches one of four ratings – Very Good, Satisfactory, Unsatisfactory, or Unfit. These categories tell us how fair the pitch is for both batsmen and bowlers, how consistent it plays, and how it affects the quality of the match.