 "India squad for England: Shubman Gill named new captain; Karun Nair, Sai Sudharsan earn call-ups")
Shuman Gill was named India’s new Test captain as an 18-member squad was announced for the upcoming Test series in England by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selectors on Saturday. The Indian men’s cricket team selection panel, led by Ajit Agarkar, has also extended maiden call-ups to Sai Sudarshan and Arshdeep Singh for the five-Test England tour, which starts in Leeds on 20 June.
Also Read | BCCI's squad announcement press conference LIVE updates
Gill will succeed Rohit Sharma as India’s Test captain after the 38-year-old retired from the longer format earlier this month. Rishabh Pant will be his deputy. India’s pace sensation, Jasprit Bumrah, was ruled out of the captaincy race due to his workload issues.
Agarkar explains why Gill was made Test captain
“We discussed every option that’s there, over the last year or so, we’ve looked at Shubman at various times. Taken a lot of feedback from the dressing room. Very young, but there’s been improvement. We’re hopeful he’s the guy. He’s a terrific player, our best wishes to him,” Agarkar said on picking Gill as Test captain.
“You don’t pick captains for one tour or two tours. We’ve seen some progress over the last year or two with him. No doubt it’s going to be as tough as it gets.”
Gill, who is 25 years and 258 days old, is the fifth-youngest cricketer to captain India in Tests. The youngest to captain India are 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).
Say Hello to #TeamIndia's newest Test Captain 👋@ShubmanGill pic.twitter.com/OkBmNZT5M0
— BCCI (@BCCI) May 24, 2025
Impact Shorts
More ShortsMeanwhile, Agarkar also confirmed that Bumrah won’t be available for all five Test matches in England, while Mohammed Shami was ruled out due to fitness issues.
“Don’t think he’ll be available for all five Tests,” Agarkar said. “Whether it’s four or three, we’ll see based on how the series goes and his workload is. Even if he’s fit for 3-4 Tests, he’ll be an asset for us. Just happy he’s part of the squad.”
Team India’s Test squad composition
Abhimanyu Easwaran has been named as the reserve opener while Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul are expected to be the main openers. Devdutt Padikkal, who was part of the squad in Australia, has been left out as he is recovering from an injury.
Karun Nair is expected to take Virat Kohli’s spot at No.4 unless Gill drops to that position to accommodate Sai Sudharsan at No.3.
Besides Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh have been picked as the fast bowlers. The spin department consists of Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav.
India have also picked two all-rounders – Shardul Thakur and Nitish Kumar Reddy.
India’s Test 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, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
