The Indian Premier League’s (IPL 2025) current season has raised several questions about Team India’s roster. On Saturday, May 24, however, Ajit Agarkar, the chief selector for the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India), took centre stage and revealed the team for the forthcoming trip of England. There were some other significant team updates while Shubman Gill was given the reins in whites.
Bumrah is replaced as vice captain by Pant.
The Indian team’s new vice-captain in the red-ball format is star batsman-wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant. Notably, he took Jasprit Bumrah’s spot, indicating that a total makeover had started. As for Bumrah’s workload, Agarkar disclosed that he probably won’t play in all five of the series’ Test matches.
Notably, this shift followed the retirement of Test cricket greats Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. As a result, there was doubt over who would move forward as team captain and how a new squad would prepare for the major trip in the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
Nair’s position and Kohli’s connection with the board
At the press conference at the BCCI offices in Mumbai, Ajit Agarkar discussed the 18-member team and touched on a number of topics, from Gill’s promotion to captain to the specifics of Virat Kohli’s retirement. The inclusion of Karun Nair and the possibility that Bumrah won’t play in all five Test matches during the England visit.
The Indian Test team’s opening lineup
He also clarified the potential opening lineups for the tour, as Gill will now captain the team; some would think he should go down the batting order. He also gave an explanation for why Mohammed Shami, a blazing bowler, was not chosen for the eagerly anticipated tour.
Players who were recalled, names that were dropped, and new faces in the Test squad
In addition to the aforementioned modifications, Team India welcomed a few new members to the roster. In both the ODI and T20I forms, these players have already played for the Men in Blue. Arshdeep Singh is one of the important players; in the white-ball formats, his swing artistry has tortured the opposition. In addition to him, Sai Sudharsan, a gifted batter, was selected for the Test squad. Over the years, he has been playing in the red-ball format on the home circuit and has also been outstanding in the current IPL 2025 edition.
Sarfaraz Khan was unexpectedly dropped from the team. Most likely because Khan might not be a suitable player to handle short balls in English conditions, according to several cricket experts. He was therefore given a skip. In addition to him, Shreyas Iyer, who was anticipated to return and eventually rejoin the Test team, was also excluded.
Mohammed Shami was one of the most prominent names that was left off the list. Agarkar disclosed that the medical staff had told him that Shami was not healthy enough to handle the workload required for Test bowling based on his examinations. He was thus disqualified from the forthcoming England tour.
Shardul Thakur, an all-rounder, was also called up to the Test team after being passed over for the Australia tour. In addition, Prasidh Krishna has been given room because of his recent performances, and Akash Deep has also been given the go-ahead. Abhimanyu Eshwaran is another well-known player who has played for the club but was not given a spot in the starting lineup. The management has stuck with him for the England tour even though he hasn’t made his whites debut for India yet.
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’s team for the England tour
Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Shubman Gill (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (vc/wk), and Dhruv Jurel (wk).
India
