Published: May 24, 2025, 03:46 PM (IST)
Edited: May 24, 2025, 03:46 PM (IST)
Shubman Gill has been appointed the new Indian Cricket Team Test captain. During a press conference held in Mumbai on Saturday, BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar revealed India’s squad for the upcoming five-Test series against England, beginning on June 20, and announced the selection decision.
Gill has never captained the Test team before, whereas the selected squad includes Jasprit Bumrah and KL Rahul who have previously led the side. When questioned about their chances of leading the team, BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar gave a clear and straightforward response.
“Bumrah because he has led us in Australia but one, he is not available for all the Test matches. I think we wanted him more as a player. It’s always extra burden when you are managing 15-16 people. It takes a lot out of you. We would rather have him as a bowler. Hope he has a big series. He is an important player for us, so having him fit as a bowler important. He knows where his body is at the moment,” Agarkar said.
“With KL not really, basically he captained a while back but I was not there at that time. We hope he has a big series. But, regarding Bumrah, having hims fit as a bowler is crucial.” he added
Agarkar also emphasized that a captain isn’t chosen just for a couple of series, but with a long-term vision in mind. “You don’t select a captain for one or two series, you have to plan for the longer term. We are hopeful that he [Shubman Gill] will learn with time,” Ajit Agarkar said in a press conference.
At just 25, Shubman Gill is among the youngest to take on the captaincy role in recent years. While he hasn’t led in Test matches before, he did captain India in a five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe in 2024 and has also been leading the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League.
India’s Test squad for England series: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.
