MUMBAI: The ‘coronation Day’ Shubman Gill as India’s new Test captain has finally arrived. When the national selectors meet at the BCCI HQ here on Saturday at 1pm to pick the squad for the upcoming five-Test tour of England, Gill is all set to be named as the new captain of India’s red-ball team.While the 25-year-old Punjab batter will lead the side, either KL Rahul or Rishabh Pant would be his deputy. According to a reliable source, premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah ruled himself out of the captaincy race when he informed the selectors that he would not be interested in the job as he will not be able to play in all the five Tests in England. This will be India’s first Test series since the Test retirements of the superstar duo of Rohit Sharma (previous Test captain) and Virat Kohli. The selection meeting is set to be followed by a press conference of chief selector Ajit Agarkar.Like they did in the case of the Australian tour in Dec-Jan, the selectors are likely to ignore veteran pacer Mohammed Shami for the gruelling tour as the 34-year-old’s ability to bowl long spell is a concern, and there’s little chance that he will be able to feature in all the five Tests. With Bumrah already having informed the BCCI that he wouldn’t feature in more than three Tests, taking another bowler who can’t last the series isn’t a great idea.
Iyer likely to be snubbedAccording to sources, the selectors are likely to ignore Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer from India’s Test squad, despite the middle-order batter having done well for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy in the 2024-25 season. The 30-year-old scored 480 runs @68.57, with two centuries, in five matches in the Ranji Trophy last year. A big indication that Iyer wasn’t there in the selectors’ scheme of things was evident when he was ignored from the India A squad shadow tour to England, which precedes the series.“Iyer’s new stance, bold strokeplay, carefree attitude to batting are all suited to the white-ball game now. The selectors aren’t convinced about his red-ball skills,” a source tracking developments told TOI.Sudharsan, Nair sure picksTwo batters who are definitely in with a contention for a berth in the India squad are Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair. Both have been picked for the India A tour to England-the team will depart on Sunday- though Sudharsan will only join the side from the second match. Primed for a Test comeback after as long as eight years, Nair has been a prolific scorer in domestic circuit – he slammed 863 runs in nine Ranji Trophy matches with four centuries at an average of 53.93 to play a stellar role in Vidarbha’s third Ranji Trophy triumph.Even in the 2023-24 Ranji season, Nair had stroked 690 runs in 10 matches@40.58, with two centuries and three fifties, to help Vidarbha finish as finalists. The 30-year-old’s high point in domestic cricket, though, came in the Vijay Hazare Trophy last season, when he smashed 779 runs in nine matches (eight innings) at an incredible average of 389.50, with five centuries. “If the selectors don’t pick someone who has shown such consistency in domestic cricket, then what’s the point of playing domestic cricket. He’s a certainty,” a source tracking developments told TOI.
The 23-year-old Sai has been on fire while playing for the Gujarat Titans in IPL-2025, and is currently the leading run-scorer in the League with 638 runs in 13 matches @53.16, fifth five fifties and a hundred under his belt. The left-handed from Tamil Nadu has been rated highly, and it would help that his opening partner and captain Gill will now be the new captain of the Test side. The only glitch is that Sudharsan’s first-class ecord isn’t great-he has scored 1957 runs in 29 matches@39.93, with seven hundred and five fifties.However, his technique, temperament, consistency and strokeplay all make Sudharsan an attractive package.Highly impressed with Sudarshan, his batting colleague at Gujarat Titans, former England white-ball captain Jos Buttler had told the official broadcaster, “I’ve said it a few times, day one watching him in the nets, I was blown away by how good he is. More importantly, (he’s got) great head on his shoulders. The effort he puts in, the work, the understanding of his game, the humility to keep coming everyday and keep working.He’s shown fantastic consistency and getting the rewards he deserves.”While he has formed a successful opening partnership with Gill in the ongoing IPL, Sudharshan is unlikely to open in England. The Indian team management is likely to continue with the opening combination of Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul. With Gill likely to slip down to No 4 to fill in the big shoes of Kohli at that slot, the No. 3 slot could be a toss-up between Sudharsan and Nair.
Mumbai’s middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan too could find a place in the squad. Though he couldn’t get a game in the Border-Gavaskar series in Australia which India lost 3-1, Sarfaraz has been picked for the India A side to tour England. It would help Sarfaraz’s case that both Devdutt Padikkal, who was preferred ahead of him in the first BGT Test in Nov last year at the No 3 slot, and Rajat Patidar are nursing injuries. Named as the India captain for the nth time, Abhimanyu Easwaran is likely to be retained in the side as the third opener.Sources revealed that there is a though that the vastly-experienced Cheteshwar Pujara (37) could take up a ‘VRS’ offer if picked and retire at the end of the series, especially absence of seniors like Rohit and Kohli, but it’s unlikely that the selectors and team management will go back in time as the series marks the start of the new World Test Championship cycle.Shami is expected to be ruled out but the final verdict will be taken basis the report from NCA. That leaves room for Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep and Harshit Rana as pacers. Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar will be the spinning allrounders, while Nitish Kumar Reddy, who has been asked to bowl more recently by the selectors, and Shardul Thakur will be the seam bowling all-rounders.The lone specialist spinner will be Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav. The two wicketkeepers will be the out-of-form Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel.The likely squad: Shubman Gill (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Sai Sudharsan, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Rishabh Pant, Druv Jurel, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, Shardul Thakur and Kuldeep Yadav.India are set to depart for England on June 6, with the first Test of the series scheduled to begin on June 20 at Headingley in Leeds.
Get IPL 2025 match schedules, squads, points table, and live scores for CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS, and RR. Check the latest IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap standings.
