Shubman Gill Named India’s 37th Test Captain for England Tour; Rishabh Pant to Serve as Deputy

Mumbai: In a major development for Indian cricket, 25-year-old batter Shubman Gill has been appointed as India’s 37th Test captain for the high-stakes five-match series against England, starting June 20. The announcement came after a selection committee meeting led by chief selector Ajit Agarkar at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai. Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has been named vice-captain.

The squad announcement was made at a formal press conference addressed by Agarkar and selector Shiv Sunder Das. The decision to hand over the leadership reins to Gill follows Rohit Sharma’s retirement from Test cricket earlier this month.

“We discussed every option over the past year. Shubman has shown improvement, and we’re hopeful he’s the right guy,” said Agarkar. “You don’t pick captains for one or two tours. We believe in his potential and temperament.”

Gill has played 32 Test matches, amassing 1,893 runs at an average of 35.1, including five centuries and seven fifties. While he has limited captaincy experience in red-ball cricket, his leadership in white-ball formats—most notably India’s 4-1 T20I series win in Zimbabwe and the 2025 Champions Trophy victory in Dubai—strengthened his case. He is currently captaining Gujarat Titans in IPL 2025, with the team topping the points table.

The squad also sees notable inclusions and exclusions. Middle-order batter Karun Nair returns to the Test side after a seven-year gap, while pacers Arshdeep Singh and B Sai Sudharsan earn their maiden Test call-ups. However, veteran fast bowler Mohammed Shami has been ruled out due to a recent injury setback.

“Shami had a setback last week and underwent MRIs. His workload isn’t at the required level for a five-Test series,” Agarkar confirmed.

Star pacer Jasprit Bumrah, while named in the squad, will not feature in all five Tests. “Even if Bumrah plays three or four matches, he’ll be an asset. He’s more valuable as a player than as a captain,” Agarkar clarified, alluding to workload management being the priority.

The selection panel has left flexibility in the batting lineup, with final decisions on opening combinations to be taken after the team reaches England. “Gill and coach Gautam Gambhir will make those calls based on conditions,” Agarkar added.

India will play the five Tests at Headingley, Edgbaston, Lord’s, Old Trafford, and The Oval from June 20 to August 4. The team is eyeing its first Test series win on English soil since 2007.

India’s Test squad for England series:
Shubman Gill (Captain), Rishabh Pant (Vice-Captain & Wicketkeeper), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, B Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (Wicketkeeper), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.