Shubman Gill's Test captaincy tenure will start with the tour of England next month.
The BCCI on Saturday (May 24) unveiled an 18-member squad for the upcoming five-Test tour of England, with 25-year-old Shubman Gill named as the new captain.
The series will mark the beginning of a new chapter for Indian Test cricket following the recent retirements of veteran batters -- Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
Shubman was appointed as skipper ahead of Jasprit Bumrah, who had already captained India in three Tests, including two matches in the absence of Rohit during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25. Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant will assist him as deputy on the England tour.
The BCCI selectors’ decision has received a big thumbs-up from former India spinner Harbhajan Singh, who welcomed Gill's appointment while also emphasizing the high expectations and tough conditions that await.
"Obviously, it is a great move, having a young captain like Shubman Gill who has done well in franchise cricket," Harbhajan told PTI.
"But this is going to be a tough tour. England has never been an easy place to play Test cricket. I hope that Shubman and Rishabh Pant-this young team-can step up. There is no Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma, and that leaves a big gap that needs to be filled. Shubman will have to lead from the front."
Harbhajan also urged the critics and fans to be patient with the new Test captain and a relatively young side.
"I would also like to ask people not to start judging too early-even if this tour doesn't go their way," he said. "It is okay even if they do not win; they will be learning from the experience. I believe that everyone on this tour will come back stronger."
KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal are likely to open the innings in England, but hot on their heels will be Abhimanyu Easwaran, who has been picked as a reserve opener. Young batter Sai Sudharsan has received his maiden Test call-up.
Karun Nair returned to the Test fold after seven years on the back of his stunning exploits in domestic first-class cricket, while Dhruv Jurel retained his place in the side as a reserve wicketkeeper-batter.
Following the retirement of another stalwart, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja will lead India’s spin attack in England. Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav feature in the squad as other spin options.
As far as the pace department is concerned, the selectors have picked five fast bowling options, which will be spearheaded by Jasprit Bumrah.
Interestingly, senior pacer Mohammad Shami failed to make the cut while Mohammed Siraj was retained in the squad. Left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh earned his maiden call-up to the Test side while Prasidh Krishna and Akash Deep were also kept in the mix. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shardul Thakur feature in the squad as seam-bowling all-rounders.
India Squad for England Tests: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc & wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.