Shubman Gill to Lead India in Test Series Against England; Pant Named Vice-Captain.

Shubman Gill to Lead India in Test Series Against England, with Rishabh Pant as vice-captain. Newcomers B Sai Sudharsan and Arshdeep Singh included—full squad details inside

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Gill Takes Charge as India Announces Test Squad for England Tour

The BCCI selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, unveiled an 18-member squad for India’s upcoming five-Test series in England, marking the beginning of the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle.

New Leadership Era Begins

• Shubman Gill (25) appointed new Test captain, succeeding Rohit Sharma, who retired after a lean patch.
• Rishabh Pant named vice-captain, marking his official return to competitive cricket after a long injury layoff.
• Jasprit Bumrah, despite being vice-captain in Australia, was not considered for leadership due to workload management concerns.

Fresh Faces and Comebacks

• Debutants: B Sai Sudharsan (batter) and Arshdeep Singh (pacer) earn maiden Test call-ups.
• Returning Players: Karun Nair (last played in 2017) and Shardul Thakur recalled.
• Omissions: Sarfaraz Khan, Harshit Rana, Tanush Kotian, and Devdutt Padikkal dropped from the squad.

Batting & All-Round Strength

• Top Order: Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sai Sudharsan, Karun Nair.
• Wicketkeepers: Pant (vc) and Dhruv Jurel (backup).
• All-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Nitish Kumar Reddy.

Bowling Attack

• Pace Battery: Bumrah, Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh.
• Spin Options: Kuldeep Yadav (only specialist spinner), supported by Jadeja & Sundar.
• Notable Absence: Mohammed Shami (still recovering from ankle surgery).

Series Schedule & Warm-Up

• 1st Test: June 20-24 (Headingley)
• 2nd Test: July 2-6 (Edgbaston)
• 3rd Test: July 10-14 (Lord’s)
• 4th Test: July 23-27 (Old Trafford)
• 5th Test: July 31-Aug 4 (The Oval)
• Warm-up: Four-day match vs India A (June 13-16, Beckenham).

Transition Phase for Indian Cricket

This series marks India’s first Test assignment post the retirements of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and R Ashwin. With a mix of youth and experience, the team aims to start the new WTC cycle strongly.