Big changes are coming to the Indian cricket team. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) just announced the team that will play against England in a five-match Test series. Young batsman Shubman Gill is now the captain of the Test team. Rishabh Pant, the team’s wicketkeeper-batsman, is his deputy.
Some big names are missing from the team, though. Star fast bowler Mohammed Shami and middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer didn’t make the cut. This is surprising, given Iyer’s great form in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 and his heroics in the Champions Trophy.
The BCCI has chosen an 18-member squad for the England tour. The team has six fast bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akashdeep, Arshdeep Singh, and Shardul Thakur. There are also three spinners: Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, and Kuldeep Yadav.
Karun Nair, a middle-order batsman, is back in the Test team after eight years. He last played Test cricket for India in 2017. Shardul Thakur has also been chosen for the series.
Here’s the full team:
- Shubman Gill (captain)
- Rishabh Pant (deputy captain)
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- KL Rahul
- Sai Sudarshan
- Abhimanyu Easwaran
- Karun Nair
- Nitish Kumar Reddy
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Dhruv Jurel
- Washington Sundar
- Shardul Thakur
- Mohammed Siraj
- Prasidh Krishna
- Akashdeep
- Arshdeep Singh
- Kuldeep Yadav
The BCCI tweeted about the team selection, saying the Shubman Gill-led Team India is ready for an action-packed Test series. The tweet reads: “Shubman Gill-led #TeamIndia are READY for an action-packed Test series. A look at the squad for India Men’s Tour of England #ENGvIND | @ShubmanGill”