In a significant development for Indian cricket, Shubman Gill has been named the new Test captain of the national team. The announcement, made by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday, marks the beginning of a new era in Indian red-ball cricket, especially after the recent retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from the format. Gill, a top-order batter, succeeds Rohit Sharma, who retired from Test cricket earlier in May.
The 25-year-old Gill, who made his Test debut in Melbourne during the 2020 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, has played 32 Test matches and scored 1,893 runs at an average of 35.05, including five centuries. His first assignment as the full-time Test captain will be the upcoming five-match series against England, scheduled to begin on June 20 at Headingley, Leeds. This series also marks the start of India's campaign in the 2025-2027 ICC World Test Championship cycle.
Gill's appointment makes him the 37th cricketer to captain India in Test cricket. For the first time, India has three different captains across all formats - Gill in Tests, Suryakumar Yadav in T20Is, and Rohit Sharma in ODIs.
Rishabh Pant has been named as Gill's deputy for the England tour. The selection committee, led by chairman Ajit Agarkar, also included some fresh faces and surprising returns in the 18-member squad. Abhimanyu Easwaran, who was part of India's squad as a reserve opener during the 2021 tour of England, has been included, along with Tamil Nadu's B Sai Sudharsan, who impressed with a century on his first-class debut in 2021. Karun Nair, who last played a Test for India in 2017, has also been recalled after a strong domestic season.
Other members of the squad include Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (as the second wicketkeeper), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, and Kuldeep Yadav.
Several senior players will be supporting Gill, including KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, and Mohammed Siraj. However, veteran seamer Mohammed Shami has been left out of the squad due to a late injury setback.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar addressed the media, explaining the decision to appoint Gill as captain. He mentioned that the board had been observing Gill for a while and had taken feedback from the dressing room. Agarkar also acknowledged that captaincy is a high-pressure job but expressed confidence in Gill's abilities. He also clarified that Jasprit Bumrah was not considered for captaincy to manage his workload and ensure his fitness as a key player.
Gill has prior captaincy experience, having led India in five T20Is and also captaining the Gujarat Titans in the IPL. Agarkar noted that Gill is relishing the captaincy role in franchise cricket and believes that his experience in all formats will be beneficial.
With the retirements of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin, the Indian Test team will have a new look for the upcoming series against England. The series presents a significant challenge for Gill and the team as they begin a new World Test Championship cycle.
