Shubman Gill Named India’s 37th Test Captain, Pant Appointed Vice-Captain for England Tour
In a major development marking the beginning of a new era in Indian Test cricket, Shubman Gill was appointed as India’s 37th Test captain on Saturday, May 24. The decision was announced following a senior selection committee meeting held in Mumbai, attended by chairman Ajit Agarkar and BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia. With Rohit Sharma stepping away from Test cricket earlier this month, the selectors have handed the reins to 25-year-old Gill, signaling a generational shift in leadership and long-term planning as India enters a new cycle of the ICC World Test Championship.
Rishabh Pant, who recently made a successful return to international cricket after a lengthy injury layoff, has been named vice-captain for the five-Test series against England, beginning June 20 at Headingley, Leeds. The 18-man squad also includes fresh faces, with young talents like Sai Sudharsan and Arshdeep Singh receiving their maiden Test call-ups. Meanwhile, Mohammed Shami was ruled out due to fitness concerns, though experienced pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj have been included.
Abhimanyu Easwaran, who has been captaining India A and has toured with the senior team previously, retains his place in the squad. Karun Nair also earns a recall, adding depth to India’s middle order.
Gill’s elevation comes at a pivotal moment for Indian cricket. Though he has led India in white-ball cricket — including a five-match T20I series in Zimbabwe in 2024 — and captains Gujarat Titans in the IPL, he has only five first-class matches as a captain. In red-ball cricket, Gill has featured in 32 Tests, scoring 1,893 runs at an average of 32.63, with five centuries. While his talent is unquestioned, his performance in overseas conditions remains under scrutiny. In 13 Tests across SENA countries and the West Indies, he has scored just 559 runs at an average of 25, with only two fifties in 24 innings.
The selectors’ decision to hand Gill the captaincy reflects a forward-looking approach, prioritizing long-term continuity and leadership grooming. With veterans like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma stepping back from the format, the Test team is in a transitional phase, searching for fresh energy and consistent performance.
India’s failure to qualify for the World Test Championship final in the 2023–25 cycle, following home losses to New Zealand and an away defeat to Australia, has only intensified calls for renewal. The leadership of a young and relatively inexperienced captain like Gill represents a bold step toward rebuilding the team around emerging players.
Fans and analysts alike will now watch closely to see whether Gill, despite concerns about his consistency in testing overseas conditions, can grow into the leadership role and guide India to sustained success in red-ball cricket.
India Squad for England Test Series:
Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (wk, vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.
IT.
