Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan Overlooked as Shubman Gill Trusted Over Rishabh Pant to Lead Indian Test Team in England

BCCI named Shubman Gill as India's Test captain, Rishabh Pant as his deputy, while overlooking Shreyas Iyer and Sarfaraz Khan for the England tour.

Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan Overlooked as Shubman Gill Trusted Over Rishabh Pant to Lead Indian Test Team in England

The BCCI has named Shubman Gill as India's new Test captain, Rishabh Pant as his deputy, while overlooking several notable players for the upcoming England tour. (via India Today)

The BCCI unveiled the 18-man Indian Test squad for the upcoming five-match red-ball series in England, slated to begin on June 20, 2025. In another major announcement, the board named Shubman Gill as India’s new Test captain, while appointing Rishabh Pant as his deputy. 

It undoubtedly marks the beginning of a new era for the Indian red-ball side, as Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant assume leadership positions. Gill had emerged as the front-runner to lead the Test team, following former captain Rohit Sharma’s decision to call time on his red-ball career, earlier this month. Alongside Rohit, fellow Indian batting star, Virat Kohli also announced his retirement from the longest format.

Gill was not the only one to be considered for captaincy, with Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer also being seen as potential candidates. However, the 25-year-old opener has come out on top, and will now be leading the team in the upcoming five-match Test series in England, which also kick-starts the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle.

Despite his lack of prior captaincy experience for India in Tests or ODIs, Gill has been appointed the new skipper, largely due to his successful leadership of Gujarat Titans in the IPL, guiding them to the play-offs in just his second season in-charge. Shubman Gill has however, served as India’s vice-captain in ODIs, and was Rohit Sharma’s deputy in the Men in Blues’ victorious 2025 Champions Trophy campaign. Here is what Ajit Agarkar had to say about new Test captain Shubman Gill:

Obviously you discuss every option that's there. Over the last year or so, we have looked at Shubman [Gill] at various times... We're hopeful we've picked the right guy. He's a terrific player and our best wishes for him.

Gill has been a consistent member of the Indian Test team since his debut against Australia in Melbourne in 2021. However, his numbers in 32 Tests since then have been average, scoring only 1,893 runs at an average of 35.05. At 25 years and 258 days old, Shubman Gill becomes the fifth-youngest player to lead India in Test matches, behind Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev and Ravi Shastri.

Gill’s elevation to the captaincy role coincides with Jasprit Bumrah’s unavailability for some matches in the upcoming WTC cycle for workload management and to maintain fitness. Gill’s deputy Rishabh Pant, who has been one of India’s best Test players over the past few years, adds the necessary leadership experience, having captained two IPL franchises, LSG and DC over the years. Agarkar had the following to say about Jasprit Bumrah:

I don't think he's [Jasprit Bumrah] available for all five Tests. Again, that's what the physios have told us. Whether it's four or three, we'll see how the series goes and how his body can take the workload.

The BCCI also announced India’s squad for the upcoming England tour, omitting several notable players like Mohammed Shami, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel and Sarfaraz Khan. Instead, veteran Karun Nair and the in-form Sai Sudharsan have been called up. Iyer’s exclusion has left fans disappointed, especially given his Test average of 36.86 from 24 matches, which even surpasses that of new captain Shubman Gill.

Meanwhile, as explained by Ajit Agarkar, batter Sarfaraz Khan has been left out following a disappointing series against New Zealand last year. Mohammed Shami has been left out owing to fitness concerns as well as his recent form following a year-long injury layoff. The squad marks the return of familiar faces like Shardul Thakur, both of whom have not played for India in over a year.

Elsewhere, Nair’s selection is a result of his brilliant domestic form, having scored 863 runs in nine matches during the 2024-25 Ranji season at an average of 53.93 for Vidarbha. Additionally, several new players have been included for the England tour, such as Abhimanyu Easwaran (who will captain India ‘A’ against England Lions), Dhruv Jurel, Prasidh Krishna, and T20I star Arshdeep Singh.

Nonetheless, with a relatively young and inexperienced Shubman Gill leading the Indian Test side, it will be interesting to see whether he manages to guide the team into a new phase marked by success. The BCCI will also be hoping for a major turnaround, after India suffered two back-to-back series defeats. 

India’s likely XI for England Tests: Shubman Gill at No. 4, Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul as openers

The Indian Test team will face a daunting challenge next month, when the team takes on England in a five-match Test series away from home. Under a new red-ball skipper in Shubman Gill, the Men in Blue will be fielding a starting XI, which looks strong on paper.

India Test likely XI Shubman Gill
India’s likely XI for the England Test series, led by new captain Shubman Gill, looks strong on paper. (via Indian Express)

Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul are anticipated to retain their position as India’s openers. The No. 3 spot could see a new option in Karun Nair or Sai Sudharsan, followed by captain Shubman Gill. Rishabh Pant will keep his No. 5 position, with Ravindra Jadeja and Nitish Reddy to follow. However, these two all-rounders face competition from Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar for a place in the playing XI.

Meanwhile, the bowling unit will likely be led by Jasprit Bumrah, with Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna being the other two picks in the starting XI. Debutant Arshdeep Singh might also feature in the XI if India opts for an extra pacer over spinner Kuldeep Yadav.