BCCI and Chief selector Ajit Agarkar has announced the rising Indian superstar Shubman Gill as a new red ball skipper for the England tour 2025. This appointment of Shubman Gill marks a new transition in Team India for the new WTC cycle from 2025 -27.
In what ultimately proved to be a formality, Shubman Gill was named as Rohit Sharma’s successor following a meeting of the selection committee at the cricket board headquarters at Wankhede Stadium. Shubman Gill will be India’s 37th Test captain. His deputy for the England tour will be Rishabh Pant.
Shubman Gill’s elevation to Test captaincy marks the beginning of a new era in Indian cricket, coming in the wake of Rohit Sharma’s retirement from the format. Alongside Rohit Sharma , who had led India since February 2022, fellow stalwarts Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin have also bid farewell to Tests since the start of India’s last Test series.
India has an advantage- Monty Panesar’s take on Shubman Gill’s unit
Former left-arm spinner Monty Panesar has named India as the “favourites” ahead of England, predicting a 2-0 victory in the five-match Test series under the leadership of head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill. India has been intensifying its preparations in Beckenham for the first Test, set to begin on June 20 at Headingley. These five Tests will not only launch the new World Test Championship cycle but also a new chapter in Indian cricket.
Ranked fourth in Test cricket, India will be without batting stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who retired from Test cricket last month. Additionally, they will miss their frontline off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who retired during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Furthermore, their Test form has been dismal, with 0-3 and 1-3 losses in their previous two series against New Zealand and Australia, respectively.
Meanwhile, England have been in red-hot Test form at home since Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum took over as captain and coach, respectively, in mid-2022. They are yet to lose a home Test series with the duo at the helm, winning six with a lone draw in the last seven series.
While opinions differ about the series outcome, Monty Panesar is confident in India’s ability to counter England’s ‘Bazball’ approach. The 43-year-old believes that experience gained in the County Championship will benefit some Indian players, and flat pitches will enhance India’s chances of success.
“Well, I think India has an advantage because they have players who have played County Cricket. I think India are favourites to win and I think they will probably win 2-0. But the key is going to be how they take on the seaming conditions. But also, there is gonna be a lot of hard work. If there are green pitches, I think England are favourites, but if there are flat pitches, I think India has got a chance of winning,” Panesar told ANI.
The two teams last played Tests in a five-match affair in India early last year, with the hosts securing a 4-1 win. Team India last played a Test series in England in 2021/22, and the five-match affair lived up to all the hype. The series opener ended in a draw after a thrilling final-day run chase for India was interrupted by rain.
Virat Kohli’s men stunned the hosts in the second Test at Lord’s with a 151-run win, finishing with an exciting final day. England bounced back in style with a resounding innings and 76-run victory in the third Test to level the series at one apiece. India repeated their Lord’s heroics in the crucial fourth Test with a 157-run win at the Oval. However, with India leading the series 2-1, the final Test was postponed due to COVID-19.
The teams finally faced each other for the series finale at Edgbaston a year later, with the home team winning by seven wickets. The series was shared at 2-2, with Joe Root and Jasprit Bumrah respectively finishing as the leading run-scorer and wicket-taker.
The series will be held from June to August 2025, with matches scheduled at Headingley in Leeds, Edgbaston in Birmingham, Lord’s and The Oval in London, and Old Trafford in Manchester.
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