Rishabh Pant Named Vice-Captain for England Tour; Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sai Sudharsan Set for Test Debuts; Shardul Thakur Returns, Unfit Mohammed Shami Left Out
India vs England Test Squad: Shubman Gill Named New Captain for the Tour (BCCI)
Shubman Gill, who played his first Test match for India just five years ago, is set to lead the team into a new era as he has been named captain for the upcoming five-match Test series in England starting from June 20.
The appointment, though expected, became official after a selection committee meeting held at the BCCI headquarters in Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. Gill will be India’s 37th Test captain. Rishabh Pant will serve as his deputy for the England tour.
Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from red-ball cricket last month. Just a few weeks later, former captain Virat Kohli also hung up his whites. However, both legends have chosen to continue playing in the 50-over format.
As earlier reported by The Indian Express, fast bowler Mohammed Shami has been excluded from the squad as selectors were uncertain about his ability to manage the workload—especially with fellow pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah not expected to play all five Tests.
Debutants on the Horizon
29-year-old Abhimanyu Easwaran, who replaced Mayank Agarwal as a reserve opener during the 2021 England tour, has now earned a spot in the playing squad and is in line for a Test debut.
Another potential debutant in red-ball cricket is left-handed Tamil Nadu batter Sai Sudharsan, who first came into the spotlight after scoring a century on his first-class debut three years ago.
Sudharsan and Easwaran are in contention to open the innings alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul. Deciding the opening pair will be one of Gill’s first major decisions as captain.
Selectors Back Gill’s Leadership Potential
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar stated that the decision to promote Gill to captain was based on his progress over the last couple of years.
“You don’t pick a captain for just one or two tours. Investing in someone who can propel the team forward is what you want to do. I’m hoping it turns out to be the proper choice. He has shown solid progress in the past year or two. It’s going to be challenging, and he may have to learn on the job, but we’re confident in his abilities—that’s why we’ve picked him,” Agarkar said.
Interestingly, during India’s last Test tour of Australia, Gill was dropped midway through the series—playing only two of the five Tests. At that time, it seemed like Jasprit Bumrah, who had led India to a historic win in the first Test at Perth, might become the team’s next Test captain.
However, Bumrah suffered a back injury during the Sydney Test and was sidelined for three months. With Bumrah only expected to feature in three Tests on this England tour, the team needed a leader who is fully fit and available for the entire series.
Regarding Shami’s omission, Agarkar commented, “It’s unfortunate. He has been having some problems, but he is trying to get fitter. He isn’t in a position to play five Tests at the moment, and his workload is currently not where it needs to be. So, we’ve planned with the players who are fit and available.”
India’s Squad for England Tour:
Shubman Gill (Captain), Rishabh Pant (Vice-Captain/Wicketkeeper), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (Wicketkeeper), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav
Test Series Schedule:
1st Test, Headingley (Leeds): June 20–24
2nd Test, Edgbaston (Birmingham): July 2–6
3rd Test, Lord’s (London): July 10–14
4th Test, Old Trafford (Manchester): July 23–27
5th Test, The Oval (London): July 31–August 4
