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.
At 25 years and 258 days, Shubman Gill becomes the fifth-youngest cricketer to captain India in Tests, behind Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi (21 years, 77 days), Sachin Tendulkar (23 years, 169 days), Kapil Dev (24 years, 48 days), and Ravi Shastri (25 years, 229 days).
Team India for England tour 2025 under Shubman Gill
Taking from where Rohit Sharma left following his recent retirement announcement from India’s test cricket, the Men in White will now be led by Shubman Gill. BCCI named the 25-year-old young talent as India’s new Test cricket captain. Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has been selected as vice-captain for the upcoming five-match Test series against England.
The announcement, made on Saturday by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, marks a significant new chapter in Indian cricket. Shubman Gill becomes one of the youngest players to lead the Test side, with selectors expressing strong faith in his temperament and leadership potential.
“Last year or so, we have looked at Shubman for leadership. We are hopeful he is the guy to take the team forward. It is a high-pressure job but he is a terrific player,” said chief selector Ajit Agarkar.
Ajit Agarkar clarified that Jasprit Bumrah, who has led India in Tests before, was not considered for captaincy as he is unlikely to play all five matches in England due to workload management. India’s 18-member squad for the England tour includes maiden Test call-ups for Sai Sudharsan and Arshdeep Singh alongside recalls for Karun Nair and Shardul Thakur. Meanwhile, Mohammed Shami, Sarfaraz Khan, Harshit Rana and Devdutt Padikkal don’t find a place.
Agarkar did not confirm where Shubman Gill would bat, but India have included players like Karun Nair — who last played a Test in 2017 and makes the cut on the back of a prolific domestic season — and the uncapped Sudharsan, both of whom are capable of slotting in at No. 3 or No. 4. KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal remain the incumbent openers, with Abhimanyu Easwaran named as the reserve. Padikkal, who batted at No. 3 during the Perth Test earlier this year, has been left out since he is recovering from an injury.
There is also a recall for Shardul Thakur, whose all-round capabilities are expected to be valuable in English conditions. He joins a group of all-rounders that includes Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar. Kuldeep Yadav, who was unfit for the Australia tour, returns as the lone frontline spinner.
Regarding fast bowling department India will miss the services of veteran Mohammed Shami. Ajit Agarkar Agarkar revealed that Shami was not considered for selection following advice from the medical team, which deemed him unfit to endure the rigours of Test bowling at this stage
“He’s been trying to get fit for a series but I think he’s had a setback over the last week or so. He’s got some MRI done. I’d like to mention I don’t think he was going to be able to play five Tests at the moment. I don’t think his workload is where it needs to be, so it’s just the medical guys who’ve told us that he’s been ruled out of the series, unfortunately.
“We were hoping him to be available for some part of the series at least but if he’s not fit at the moment, it’s very difficult to keep waiting. We’d rather plan with the guys that are fit and available at the moment.”
Arshdeep Singh, a regular in India’s white-ball squads, has earned a Test call-up and will bolster a pace attack led by Jasprit Bumrah and also featuring Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Akash Deep. Harshit Rana, who featured in two Tests in Australia, was not included. Dhruv Jurel is the back-up keeper in the squad.
The Test series will commence on June 20 in Headingly, Leeds. The following Tests will be held in Edgbaston, Lord’s, Old Trafford and Oval respectively.
India Test squad for England : Shubman Gill (Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (VC, WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Arshdeep Singh
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