Shubman Gill has been named the new captain of India’s Test team, taking over the reins from Rohit Sharma, who recently announced his retirement from red-ball cricket. The 25-year-old will lead a restructured Indian side in the upcoming five-Test series against England, starting June 20 in Leeds.
"Last year or so we have looked at Shubman (for leadership). We are hopeful he is the guy who is going (to take the team forward). It is a high pressure job but he is a terrific player. We wish him all the best," said chief selector Ajit Agarkar after announcing the squad, which offered no major surprises.
Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, fresh off a successful comeback to international cricket, has been appointed as the vice-captain."Pant is one of our best batters in Test cricket over the last four-five years. A wicketkeeper can see the game well and that's why he is Shubman's deputy," Agarkar added while explaining the 27-year-old Pant's role.
The squad, announced by chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar on Saturday afternoon, includes a mix of youth and experience, with some notable exclusions and surprising returns.
Among the biggest talking points is the omission of senior pacer Mohammed Shami. Agarkar confirmed that while the selection panel was keen to include Shami, the medical team declared him unfit. “His workload is not what it needs to be… at the moment, he is not fit,” Agarkar said, ending speculation around the veteran seamer’s availability.
The squad sees the return of middle-order batter Karun Nair, who last played a Test in 2017. Youngsters Sai Sudharsan and Nitish Kumar Reddy have also earned their maiden Test call-ups, highlighting the selectors' intent to rebuild the team for the long haul.
“Only time will tell whether Bumrah plays three or four Tests,” Agarkar added, while confirming that premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah will not feature in all five matches. The team management, including physios, will monitor and manage Bumrah’s workload closely throughout the series.
The selectors have named Dhruv Jurel as the second wicketkeeper, while all-rounders Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur offer depth in both departments. Kuldeep Yadav will be the lone specialist spinner alongside Ravindra Jadeja.
Agarkar conceded that the void left by the Test retirement of premier cricketers Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma is tough to fill, but hoped that other players will step up during the upcoming tour of England.
Rohit was the first to announce to retirement from Test cricket on May 7, while his long-time teammate Kohli followed the suit on May 12.
"When guys like that retire, they are stalwarts of cricket...it is always difficult, (their) shoes are very big to fill. But one way of looking at it is, that it's an opportunity for others," Agarkar told the media after announcing India's 16-member squad for next month's five-Test series starting June 20.
Agarkar revealed that Kohli had reached out to him last month, possibly after the Champions Trophy, expressing his desire to quit Test cricket.
"Virat reached out (to the BCCI/selection committee) in early April, and he felt he gad given everything he had. If he felt he could not be up to the standards that he has set, you have got to respect that. Needless to say, Rohit has been leading the team as well," Agarkar added.
There have been intense speculations surrounding the future of both Kohli and Rohit in the traditional format after a series of underwhelming outings in the last year or so.
The latest instance in that wobbling effort was the tour of Australia for the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Kohli started with a bang, making a hundred at Perth but faded away quickly to end the tour at 190 runs from five Tests at an average of 23.
Rohit, who joined the side after the first Test, was equally unimpressive, making just 31 runs from five Tests at an average of 6.2, besides standing down from the fifth and final at Sydney.
So, did the powers that be tried to persuade Kohli and Rohit to stay back for the tour of England, considering the magnitude of the series?
Agarkar was quite blunt in his assessment of the situation, and said building a new side for the upcoming World Test Championship cycle (2025-27) took precedence.
"When somebody takes a call (to retire), it is not up to me. Retirement is a personal call. It's a new WTC (World Test Championship) cycle, and you are looking at all scenarios to help build a team," he said while echoing the sentiments of head coach Gautam Gambhir.
There were speculations that Kohli wanted to travel to England for a farewell series, but Agarkar did not dwell into it, simply saying the decision to move away from Test cricket was entirely made by the star batter.
India’s squad for England Test series:
Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (vice-captain and wicketkeeper), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, 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, Kuldeep Yadav.
(With inputs from PTI)