BCCI announces India's Test squad for England tour: Check out
What's the story
BCCI has finally announced India's squad for the upcoming five-Test series against hosts England, starting on June 20.
Shubman Gill has been named the captain with Rishabh Pant being his deputy.
Notably, the upcoming series would be India's maiden Test assignment following Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's retirements from the format.
It will also mark the start of India's 2025-27 ICC World Test Championship cycle.
Here are further details.
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India squad for England tour
Squad: Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (wk & VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.
Captaincy
Gill pips Jasprit Bumrah
It must be noted that pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah was the vice-captain in India's preceding Test assignment, against hosts Australia.
He even led in a couple of games in the then-skipper Rohit's absence.
However, the pacer sustained an injury midway through the fifth and final Test.
Hence, workload management seems to be the reason behind Gill and Pant's inclusion in the leadership department.
The duo also piped KL Rahul, another veteran who has led India before in Tests.
New faces
Notable inclusions in the squad
The squad for the England tour is similar to the team that played the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.
The likes of Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair have been added following their exceptional performances in the recent domestic season.
Meanwhile, Sarfaraz Khan, who has been struggling with fitness issues, has not been selected.
Abhimanyu Easwaran will be the back-up opener to Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Dhruv Jurel is the back-up wicket-keeper.
IPL impact
Sudharsan's IPL success and FC stats
Sudharsan has been a standout performer for the Gujarat Titans in IPL-2025, leading the run-scoring chart with 638 runs at an average of 53.16.
The southpaw has also been named in India's A squad for the second match against England Lions.
Despite not having a stellar First-Class record, his technique, temperament, consistency, and strokeplay make him an attractive prospect.
Having played 29 FC games as per ESPNcricinfo, Sudharsan has managed 1,957 runs at 39.93 (100s: 7, 50s: 5).
Nair
Nair has been on a roll
Meanwhile, Nair was a consistent run-scorer in the domestic circuit last season, scoring four centuries from nine Ranji Trophy games.
The 33-year-old scored 863 runs at 53.93 to finish as the fourth-highest run-getter of the 2024-25 Ranji season.
He has overall accumulated 8,211 runs from 114 FC matches at 49.16 (100s: 23, 50s: 36).
Notably, Nair scored a historic Test triple-century against England, in 2016. Having last played for India in 2017, Nair owns 374 Test runs at 62.33.
Arshdeep
Maiden Test call-up for Arshdeep
India's leading wicket-taker in T20Is, Arshdeep Singh has received his maiden Test call-up.
He pips Yash Dayal as the only left-arm pacer in the squad. Across 22 First-Class appearances, he owns 66 wickets at 30.37 (5W: 2).
Meanwhile, Prasidh Krishna and Akash Deep have retained their places in the team.
Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj will lead the pace department.
Change in lineup
Gill's batting position likely to change for England tour
Notably, Gill, who has been India's number three in Tests since Cheteshwar Pujara's exit, will reportedly bat at number four against England after Kohli's retirement.
This leaves the number three position open for Nair and Sudharsan.
Hence, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Gill, and Nair/Sudharsan are likely to form India's top order in England.
Shami
Shami has not been picked
Veteran Indian pacer Mohammed Shami is arguably the most notable absentee from the squad.
Although he is fit to bowl in the ongoing IPL 2025 season for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), ESPNcricinfo had reported that he hasn't achieved the required workload for Test cricket.
Shami, who owns 229 Test scalps for India at 27.71, last played a Test match during the ICC World Test Championship final against Australia in June 2023.
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Who are the spinners and all-rounders?
While Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar as the spin-bowling all-rounders in the squad, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shardul Thakur are the pace-bowling all-rounders. Kuldeep Yadav is the solitary specialist spinner in the 18-member squad.
Composition
What should be India's XI for the opening game?
Having done well in the 2024-25 BGT series in Australia, Rahul and Jaiswal should continue to open the proceedings.
Skipper Gill should be then followed by either Nair or Sudharsan. Wicket-keeper Pant would operate at number five followed by all-rounders Reddy and Jadeja.
Bumrah, Siraj, Krishna, and Arshdeep can form the pace quartet. If Team India opts for an extra batting option, Arshdeep might make way for Washington Sundar.
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India's likely XI
India's likely XI for the first Test vs England: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan/Karun Nair, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar/Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah (c), Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj.