Shubman Gill Heads a New-Look India Test Squad for England Tour
The cricket world’s been buzzing since the BCCI dropped the 18-member India Test squad for the 2025 England tour. The most eye-catching change? Shubman Gill steps up as captain, ushering in a fresh era after Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s recent Test retirements. Rishabh Pant, back behind the stumps, has been named vice-captain. For many fans, it’s the beginning of a new chapter, with a leadership duo unlike any before.
There’s a good chunk of the usual experience, but this squad isn’t afraid to bet on youth. Gill finds himself slotting into the crucial No. 4 spot, while questions remain about who’ll bat at No. 3—Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair are in the running. Both have made plenty of noise lately: Nair, for instance, hammered out more than 850 runs in the last Ranji Trophy season. Sudharsan, meanwhile, has been turning heads in the IPL with the maturity of his batting. It’s tough to imagine a bigger stage for a Test baptism than England in June.
Young Blood and Fresh Faces: Squad Details and Big Changes
The selectors are clearly shifting gears, moving past the Kohli-Rohit era. With R Ashwin also stepping away from Test matches, there’s a space for spinners and all-rounders to carve out their legacy. Ravindra Jadeja takes the mantle as the main all-rounder, balancing out the youthful top order with the experience only English conditions can demand.
The openers will likely be KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal—Rahul’s composure and Jaiswal’s aggression should set the tone at the top. The bowling attack blends spin and pace, details of which have kept fans guessing as the BCCI is tight-lipped about final bowling combinations. The selectors, led by Ajit Agarkar, seem open to giving newer options a crack in the five-match series.
One surprising move was the late addition of Harshit Rana—a batting all-rounder—specifically for the opening match in Leeds. While BCCI’s statement didn’t spell out all the details of this switch, sources say he’s being seen as a flexible asset who can fill gaps both with the bat and the ball. Such pragmatic calls hint at increased depth you’ll need against England’s relentless home attack.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir’s fingerprints are all over this squad, especially when it comes to batting roles and the push to promote younger players feeding off recent IPL and domestic successes. It’s not just a generational shift in names, but also in attitude: hungry new faces who want to stamp their authority abroad, instead of sticking to predictable hierarchies.
The timing for this transformation couldn’t be more dramatic—the series begins on 24 June, wrapping up with the final Test starting 31 July. There’s no shortage of pressure, with expectations running sky-high as India tries to out-fox England on their own turf. For fans, analysts, and the players themselves, this tour feels less like a continuation and more like the opening act of a whole new saga in Indian Test cricket history.