India squad for England Tests — Ushering in a new era under captain Shubman Gill

India squad for England Tests — Ushering in a new era under captain Shubman Gill

India enters a new era in red-ball cricket with Shubman Gill leading the team for its five-match Test series against England, starting next month.

After Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli moved on from the format, the national selection committee, headed by Ajit Agarkar, decided to choose a new leader.

And with Jasprit Bumrah not available for all five Tests as part of his workload management, the selectors and the team management chose to groom a young captain like Gill and give him a longer rope, under the guidance of head coach Gautam Gambhir.

Gill, at 25 years and 258 days, became the fifth youngest Test captain for India, while Rishabh Pant was appointed his deputy.

“Over the last year or so, we have looked at Shubman (for leadership). We are hopeful that he is the guy who is going (to take the team forward).

“It is a high-pressure job, but he is a terrific player,” Agarkar said, admitting that the five-member panel discussed a few other options and took feedback from team members before making their decision.

“You want to name a captain who can help the team go forward rather than having someone for one or two tours.

“It is going to be as tough as it gets. Maybe he will learn on the job, but we have seen what he can do, and that is the reason we picked him,” Agarkar explained.

Gill has played as an opener or at No. 3 in Test cricket for India, scoring 1893 runs in 32 Tests, including five centuries and seven fifties.

However, Agarkar left it to coach Gambhir and Gill to decide the suitable option for the No.4 slot, depending on the conditions.

With the start of a new World Test Championship cycle, it will be a challenge for Gill to prove his mettle as the leader, even though the selectors are confident of the young lot living up to the expectations.

While left-hander B. Sai Sudharsan earned his maiden Test call-up, Karun Nair returned to the national set-up after eight years, riding on his consistent performances in the domestic tournaments.

However, pacer Mohammed Shami, deemed not fit enough for the long series, missed out. With Bumrah not available for the entire series, the selectors did not want to take a risk with Shami, who had also missed out on the Australia series.

“He’s been trying to get fit for the series, but he’s had a little bit of a setback over the last week or so. He got some MRIs done, and I don’t think he was going to be able to take all five Tests. And at the moment, I don’t think his workload is where it needs to be,” Agarkar said.

“Unfortunately, we were hoping that he’s 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…”

In place of Shami, the selectors brought in Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep Singh, while Harshit Rana was a surprise exclusion.

“I don’t think Bumrah will play all five Tests, whether it is four or three, we will see how the series goes. Even if it is three or four, he is going to win us the games.

“He is fit and ready, thankfully,” Agarkar said, further clarifying that while Bumrah had previously led in Australia, the team prioritised his bowling contributions over adding the extra pressure of captaincy for the entire series.

The chairman of the selection committee hoped KL Rahul to have a ‘big tour’, while making it clear that Shreyas Iyer, despite making his presence felt in white-ball cricket, will have to wait for his chances.

The embarrassing series defeat to Australia, earlier this year, drew severe criticism. Now with two veterans retired, the youngsters will have lots to prove.

“It is always difficult when seniors retire. But it is also an opportunity. You have to respect their decision; they have earned that. We will obviously miss (Kohli and Rohit),” Agarkar said, making it clear that it was their personal decision to quit.

But now it’s up to the youngsters to make the most of the opportunity. After all, “it is a new cycle, an opportunity to build something new…”

Published on May 24, 2025