India’s Shreyas Iyer during a practice session ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy match between India and Pakistan in Dubai. (PTI)
NEW DELHI: The wait is finally over. Team India has a new Test captain — Shubman Gill. The 25-year-old will take over the red-ball leadership when India begin their five-Test tour of England on June 20 at Headingley, Leeds. Gill will lead the side, with the dynamic Rishabh Pant his deputy.At 25, Gill becomes India’s fifth-youngest Test captain, following in the footsteps of Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi (21), Sachin Tendulkar (23), Kapil Dev (24), and Ravi Shastri (25).Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!As is often the case with team selections, the announcement by chief selector Ajit Agarkar brought a mix of elation and disappointment.While young left-hander B Sai Sudharsan and left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh earned their maiden Test call-ups, the squad also marked the return of Karun Nair to the national setup after eight years.Among the notable omissions was veteran pacer Mohammed Shami, who was deemed unfit for the five-match series. Harshit Rana and Sarfaraz Khan, who were part of the Australia tour, were also left out.Here are five burning questions following the selection of India’s squad for the England Tests.WHERE IS SHREYAS IYER?Shreyas Iyer’s exclusion from the 18-member squad has emerged as the biggest surprise among the omissions. Despite an impressive run in the 2024–25 Ranji Trophy season — scoring 480 runs at an average of 68.57 in seven innings — and playing a key role in India’s Champions Trophy-winning campaign, Iyer’s omission has raised several eyebrows. A proven match-winner, leader, agile fielder, and potential game-changer in England’s challenging conditions, Iyer wasn’t even considered for the India A squad.Iyer last played a Test in 2024 against England in Visakhapatnam.In the ongoing IPL 2025 season, Iyer has also led Punjab Kings to the playoffs for the first time in eleven years, showing strong form and leadership.When asked about his omission, chief selector Ajit Agarkar explained that there simply isn’t a place for him in the Test setup at the moment. “Shreyas had a good one-day series, played well in domestic as well but right now there’s no room in Test cricket.”Another notable absentee from the squad is Sarfaraz Khan. Once seen as a promising prospect for India’s red-ball future, his omission from back-to-back Test series has now become a major talking point. Sarfaraz, who made a strong impression with back-to-back fifties on debut against England in Rajkot in 2024, also scored a 150 in India’s first Test against New Zealand last year. However, he was dropped for the subsequent tour of Australia and has once again been left out of the squad for the upcoming England series.What went wrong for Sarfaraz after the New Zealand series remains unclear.That said, Sarfaraz has been included in the India A squad for the series against the England Lions.Chief selector Agarkar backed Karun Nair over Sarfaraz, citing Nair’s consistent domestic form as the reason for his inclusion.“Sometimes you just have to make good decisions. Sarfaraz, I know he got a 100 in the first Test and then didn’t get runs. Sometimes it’s decisions the team management takes,” Agarkar said.
When the young pacer was included in the Test side for the series Down Under, his selection was termed a ‘bold move’. Harshit Rana made an impressive start to his Test career in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, picking up four wickets on debut. However, he struggled to maintain that impact in the latter stages of the series.With India now set to tour England, the selectors have prioritised bowlers suited to swing-friendly conditions, opting for Akash Deep, Shardul Thakur, and Arshdeep Singh, while leaving Rana out.The captain and team management will certainly face a major headache while finalising the Playing XI for the opening Test. Who will open the innings for India – that’s one of the key questions. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Karun Nair, and KL Rahul are among the current options.However, with the retirements of two stalwarts — Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli — India’s batting line-up is set for a significant reshuffle. Undoubtedly, under Gill’s leadership, the team is on the brink of a “massive transition.”WILL GILL LEAVE NO.3?Will Gill open the innings? Or will he bat at No. 4? If Shubman Gill shifts to the No. 4 spot, it could mark a significant change in his career trajectory. With several contenders vying for the opening slots, the selectors might back Gill to step into Virat Kohli’s shoes — at the crucial No. 4 position, where Kohli anchored the innings for years.“Last year or so we have looked at Shubman (for leadership). We are hopeful he is the guy who is going (to take the team forward). It is a high-pressure job but he is a terrific player. We wish him all the best,” said chief selector Ajit Agarkar after announcing the 18-member squad.Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, K L Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhurv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep singh and Kuldeep Yadav.
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