The Indian Test side enters a new era with the tour of England.
Batting stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma bid adieu to Test cricket last month, leaving a big void in the Indian team ahead of the England tour that marks the beginning of the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
Additionally, India will not have the services of legendary off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who called time on his international career midway through the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25.
With the tour of England, the Indian Test side enters a new era under the captaincy of Shubman Gill. The five-match series represents a generational shift in Indian Test cricket leadership, with veteran campaigners like Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane also being overlooked by the selectors.
However, the former stars continue to stay in touch with the current crop of players. Pujara, one of the chief architects of some of India’s finest Test wins over the past decade, has taken up media responsibilities and is now part of the broadcast team for the India-England Test series.
Pujara was recently spotted at India's training session in Leeds, where he engaged with the squad members. A notable interaction took place between Pujara, bowling coach Morne Morkel, and spinner Kuldeep Yadav at the ground.
During this interaction, Morkel shared a lighthearted comment about Kuldeep, saying "He's keeping me on my toes, let's be honest!"
The Indian squad for the England tour includes Kuldeep Yadav as the primary spinner, with Ravindra Jadeja serving as the spin-bowling all-rounder.
This transition phase brings both challenges and opportunities for the Indian Test team. The blend of emerging talent and experienced support staff will be crucial in shaping the team's future.
After the series opener at Headingley, India and England will move to Edgbaston (July 2-6) for the second Test, followed by matches at Lord’s (July 10-14), Old Trafford (July 23-27) and The Oval (July 31-August 4).
India's Test squad for England series: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.