The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially announced Shubman Gill as the new captain of India’s Test team, marking a major generational shift following the retirements of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin. The 24-year-old top-order batter will lead the side in a five-Test series against England beginning June 20 at Headingley, kicking off a fresh cycle of the ICC World Test Championship.
Rishabh Pant, returning to the national setup after a prolonged injury layoff, has been named vice-captain.
Gill, who has already led India in T20Is—including a tour of Zimbabwe in 2024—has played 32 Tests, scoring 1,893 runs at an average of 35.05, with five centuries since making his debut in December 2020.
Why Gill?
India’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar, speaking at a press conference to announce the squad, offered insights into the decision to hand the captaincy to Gill, highlighting both the batter’s maturity and the long-term vision driving the move.
“Over the last year or so, we’ve looked at Shubman at various times. You take a lot of feedback from the dressing room as well… He’s very young but we’ve seen the improvement. I know it’s T20 cricket for GT [Gujarat Titans in IPL] as well, but you take feedback from a lot of people.”
Agarkar emphasized that the role comes with immense expectations but expressed confidence in Gill’s ability to thrive under pressure.
“We are hopeful that he’s the guy. It’s always going to be a high-pressure job, like it always is, but we are hopeful that we’ve picked the right guy. He’s a terrific player.”
Jasprit Bumrah, previously considered a candidate for leadership, was ruled out of contention for the captaincy due to concerns over his availability across all five Tests.
India’s squad: a blend of youth and experience
India’s 18-man squad reflects both continuity and change. Alongside familiar names like KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and Mohammed Siraj, several players are either returning or making their debut in the longest format.
Notably, Karun Nair returns to the Test setup for the first time since 2017, following a dominant domestic season where he scored 863 runs and led Vidarbha to a Ranji Trophy title. Another notable addition is IPL and domestic standout Sai Sudharsan, who earns his first Test call-up.
Other new or returning faces include Abhimanyu Easwaran, Dhruv Jurel (named as the second wicketkeeper), Shardul Thakur, Akash Deep, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Arshdeep Singh—who is in line for a potential Test debut.
One major omission is veteran pacer Mohammed Shami, who remains unavailable due to injury.
India Test squad for England series
- Shubman Gill (captain)
- Rishabh Pant (vice-captain, wicketkeeper)
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- KL Rahul
- Sai Sudharsan
- Abhimanyu Easwaran
- Karun Nair
- Nitish Kumar Reddy
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Dhruv Jurel (second wicketkeeper)
- Washington Sundar
- Shardul Thakur
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Mohammed Siraj
- Prasidh Krishna
- Akash Deep
- Arshdeep Singh
- Kuldeep Yadav
Preparations and England challenge
India will play a warm-up match against India ‘A’ in Beckenham ahead of the five-match series, which begins on June 20. The last time the two teams met in England, the series ended in a 2-2 draw—an unfinished rivalry that adds further anticipation to this summer’s showdown.
With a young captain, a transitional co
