India’s Test squad for England tour 2025 announced: Full team, captain, new players & omissions

Team India’s squad has been a burning question in recent days amid the ongoing IPL 2025 (Indian Premier League). However, in a massive move on Saturday, May 24, the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, took centre stage and announced the squad for the upcoming tour of England. While Shubman Gill was handed the reins in whites, there were some other important updates regarding the team.

Pant replaces Bumrah as new vice-captain

Star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant was appointed as the new vice-captain of the Indian team in the red-ball format. Notably, he replaced Jasprit Bumrah, signalling a complete overhaul had begun. Regarding Bumrah's workload, Agarkar revealed that most likely, he will not feature in all five Test matches of the series.

Notably, this change came in the wake of legends Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma bidding adieu to Test cricket. This led to uncertainty over who would now lead the side going forward and how a new team would shape up for the big tour in the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.

Kohli's communication with board, Nair's role

While discussing the 18-member squad at the press conference held at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai, Ajit Agarkar reflected on various aspects, ranging from Gill's elevation to captaincy to the background details of Virat Kohli’s retirement. Karun Nair’s inclusion, and Bumrah possibly not featuring in all five Tests during the England tour.

Opening combination for Indian Test team

Additionally, he shed light on the possible opening combinations for the tour, now that Gill is set to lead the side—some may feel he could need to shuffle down the batting order. He also explained the reason behind not selecting the fiery pacer Mohammed Shami for the much-awaited tour.

New faces in Test squad, dropped names and recalled players

Apart from the above updates, Team India also saw some new faces coming into the squad. These players have already represented the Men in Blue in the ODI and T20I formats. One of the key players is Arshdeep Singh, who has tormented the opponents with his swing artistry in the white-ball formats. Apart from him, the talented batter Sai Sudharsan also made the cut into the Test team. He has been performing over time both in the domestic circuit in the red-ball format and has also been sensational in the ongoing IPL 2025 edition as well.

Quite surprisingly, Sarfaraz Khan has been dropped from the side. Probably because, as per some cricket experts, Khan may not be an apt player to deal with short balls in English conditions. Hence, he was given a skip. Apart from him, Shreyas Iyer, who was expected to make a comeback and finally get into the Test side once again, was also left out.

One of the most notable names who was not picked was Mohammed Shami. Agarkar revealed that based on his medical check-ups, the medical team had informed him that Shami was not fit enough to take the workload for Test bowling. Hence, he was ruled out for the upcoming England tour.

While all rounder Shardul Thakur was also recalled into the Test side after he was snubbed for the Australia tour. Along with him, Akash Deep also gets the nod, and Prasidh Krishna has also been accommodated owing to his recent performances in the past. Another notable name who has been part of the team but did not get the chance in the playing XI is Abhimanyu Eshwaran. He is yet to debut for India in whites, but the management has persisted with him for the England tour as well.

India squad for England tour announced, Gill named captain

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India squad for England tour announced, Gill named captain

What Agarkar Said!

Agarkar on choosing Gill as India's 37th Test captain

"We discussed every option that's there, over the last year or so, we've looked at Shubman at various times. Taken a lot of feedback from the dressing room. Very young, but there's been improvement. We're hopeful he's the guy. He's a terrific player, our best wishes to him. You don't pick captains for one tour or two tours. We've seen some progress over the last year or two with him. No doubt it's going to be as tough as it gets."

Virat Kohli contacted in April

"When guys like that retire, always big holes to fill. Ashwin also retired. Those three have been stalwarts. Always difficult. One way of looking at it is, opportunity for someone else. Had conversations with both of them. Virat reached out early April, seem him give 200% every ball he plays even when he's not batting or on the field. Felt he'd given everything he had, if he can't keep up to the standards it was time for him. It's come from him. Have to respect that. They've earned that respect."

Five Tests and Bumrah's workload management

"Don't think he'll be available for all five Tests. Whether it's four or three, we'll see based on how the series goes and his workload is. Even if he's fit for 3-4 Tests, he'll be an asset for us. Just happy he's part of the squad."

On Nair's comeback in Test side

"Sometimes you just have to make good decisions. Sarfaraz, I know he got a 100 in the first Test and then didn't get runs. Sometimes it's decisions the team management takes. At the moment, Karun has scored heaps of runs in domestic, has played a bit of Test cricket, played a bit of county cricket. With Virat not there, clearly we're lacking a bit of experience. We felt his experience could help."

Absence of Shami from India squad

"He's had a little bit of a setback over the past week, got some MRIs done. Wasn't going to be able to play five Tests. Don't think his workload is where he needs to be. Medical guys told he'll be ruled out. We were hoping he'll play some part, but if he's not fit, we'd rather pick guys fit and available rather than waiting."

Possible openers of Team India

"GG and Shubman might take a call on opener once they get there. But once they get there, they'll have a think about that."

India squad for England tour

Shubman Gill (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (vc/wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, and Arshdeep Singh.