England vs India: Shubman Gill to bat at Number 4
What's the story
Ahead of the Test series opener between England and India at Edgbaston, starting June 20, Rishabh Pant has confirmed that skipper Shubman Gill will bat at Number 4.
Speaking to the media prior to the Test, Pant revealed that Gill will take over the position previously held by the now-retired Virat Kohli.
Pant, India's Test vice-captain, also announced that he will continue to bat at Number 5.
Batting order
Gill at bat 4; Number 3 slot still open
Prior to the 1st Test, Pant confirmed the two batting spots by saying, "Shubman will be batting at Number 4, and I will continue at 5."
The wicketkeeper-batter also stated that the Number 3 spot is still open and will be decided soon.
Notably, Gill started his Test journey as an opener, partnering Rohit Sharma. However, with Yashasvi Jaiswal being the other opener, he moved to Number 3.
Kohli's exit has now demoted Gill to Number 4.
Career
A look at Gill's Test career
At just 25, Gill is among the youngest players to be appointed India's Test captain in recent times.
Despite his lack of experience in leading red-ball cricket teams, he captained India in the five-match T20I series in Zimbabwe last year.
Gill also led Gujarat Titans to the IPL 2025 playoffs.
In his short Test career, he has played 32 matches, scoring a total of 1,893 runs at at 35.05 including five centuries.
Number 3
What about Number 3 spot?
As Pant mentioned, the Number 3 slot is yet to be locked in.
It will be interesting to see if the experienced KL Rahul opens with Jaiswal at Headingley. The former has been in sublime form and knows the English conditions well.
Going by this opening duo, Sai Sudharsan could bat at Number 3. Abhimanyu Easwaran and Karun Nair are also in line for the same.
Information
A look at India's squad
India's squad: Shubman Gill (Captain), Rishabh Pant (Wicket-keeper), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudarshan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, and Harshit Rana.
Series significance
A new chapter in the Test rivalry
The five-match series marks a new chapter in the England-India Test rivalry.
Both teams are going through transitions with new players coming into the side.
This makes it all the more interesting to see how these changes will affect their performance on this historic tour.
Notably, India are eyeing their first Test series win on England soil since 2007.