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Shubman Gill has been appointed as India's new Test captain, succeeding Rohit Sharma. Rishabh Pant will serve as vice-captain, ushering in a new leadership era following the retirements of key players like Kohli and Ashwin.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee or chief selector Ajit Agarkar announced an 18-member India squad for the five-match Test series against England on Saturday, May 24.
India’s Test tour of England will begin on June 20, with the first match of the series taking place at Headingley. India’s squad announcement has been making a lot of buzz and headlines as it marks the beginning of a new era of Indian Test cricket after the retirements of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravichandran Ashwin. Rohit and Kohli pulled the curtains on their Test careers before the England series, while Ashwin bid adieu to international cricket midway through the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Team India gets new Test captain
The biggest news from the squad announcement is the appointment of Shubman Gill as the new Test captain for Team India. The veteran Indian batter left behind his legacy as a Test captain, having led Team India to memorable wins at home and now the baton has been passed on to Gill, who emerged as the front-runner to take up captaincy duties in the longest format of the game.
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Gill was in contention with Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, and KL Rahul for the leadership, but the selectors and team India management seemingly backed the 25-year-old due to his temperament and long term potential to lead India through a transition in red-ball cricket. Jasprit Bumrah was one of the favourites to take up Test captaincy, but opted out of the race due to injury concerns and workload management.
Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant has been appointed as the vice-captain of Team India in Tests, marking the beginning of a fresh leadership core that is expected to take the team through a crucial transition phase in the post-Rohit-Kohli era.
Sudharsan, Arshdeep get Test call-up, Karun, Shardul return
Another major development is that young batter Sai Sudharsan has received a maiden Test call-up for the upcoming Test series. The Gujarat Titans opener was on the radar of the selectors, given his impressive run of form in the ongoing IPL season. Sudharsan played for India A against Australia A before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy last year and he has been included in the India A for two unofficial Tests against England Lions, starting on May 30.
Apart from Sai Sudharsan, Arshdeep Singh too received Test call-up for the series against England. Arshdeep was on the selectors radar for a long time and finally he was added to the squad. The Punjab Kings pacer is already part of the T20I and ODI setup.
Meanwhile, Karun Nair and Shardul Thakur returned to the India Test squad. Karun Nair’s long wait to make a national comeback came to an end with his inclusion in the Test squad for the upcoming Test series against England. The veteran batter was out of the selectors radar after scoring a triple century against England in the Chennai Test in 2016. After his impressive performances in the Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy, Karun Nair made his way back to the India Test squad after a gap of nine years.
Shardul Thakur received a well-deserved Test recall after toiling hard in domestic cricket and playing a pivotal role in Mumbai’s 42nd Ranji Trophy triumph last year. Thakur’s last appearance in the format was in the Centurion Test against South Africa in December 2023. Thakur and Nair are part of India A squad for the series against England Lions.
No Mohammed Shami in India Test squad
Meanwhile, Mohammed Shami has missed out his place in the India squad for the Test series against England. The uncertainty over Shami’s inclusion in the squad was looming due to fitness concerns. It was reported that the veteran pacer was unlikely to be picked for the Test series against England as the selectors believe that he is yet to gain complete fitness despite returning to international cricket after a long injury break due to ankle injury.
In the ongoing IPL 2025, Mohammed Shami has been struggling with his form as he has picked just six wickets at an average of 56.16 and an economy rate of 11.23 in 13 group-stage fixtures.
Jasprit Bumrah is expected to lead the pace attack, with Mohammed Siraj as his new-ball partner. Prasidh Krishna and Akash Deep have been added to India squad for the Test series, while Harshit Rana has been left out. Prasidh and Akash Deep were part of the Indian team that lost the five-match Test series against Australia.
Ravindra Jadeja to lead spin attack in Ashwin’s absence
As Ravichandran Ashwin retired from international cricket after The Gabba Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Ravindra Jadeja is expected to shoulder the responsibility of leading the spin bowling attack.
Apart from Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav have also been included for the England tour, offering a blend of control, variety, and wrist-spin options to bolster India’s spin department in Ashwin’s absence on the seaming English pitches.
India squad for England tour:
Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (VC & WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav
