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. 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.
The squad also sees fresh faces and a few comebacks. B Sai Sudharsan earned his maiden Test call-up after a strong domestic season, while Karun Nair returns to the national setup after a seven-year hiatus. A setback for India may be the absence of pace spearhead Mohammed Shami, who has been ruled out due to fitness issues. “His workload is not where it needs to be,” Agarkar noted. Notable omissions from the recent Australia tour include Harshit Rana and Sarfaraz Khan.
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