In a major development ahead of the upcoming tour of England, Shubman Gill has been appointed as the new captain of India’s Test team. The announcement was made on Saturday by Ajit Agarkar, chairman of the men’s selection committee, during the unveiling of the squad for the five-match Test series set to begin in June.
Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has been named vice-captain, marking his return to a leadership role following his recovery from injury.
Agarkar clarified that Jasprit Bumrah, who has led India in Tests before, was not considered for captaincy as he is unlikely to play all five matches in England due to workload management.
India’s 18-member squad for the England tour includes maiden Test call-ups for Sai Sudharsan and Arshdeep Singh alongside recalls for Karun Nair and Shardul Thakur. Meanwhile, Mohammed Shami, Sarfaraz Khan, Harshit Rana, and Devdutt Padikkal don’t find a place.
Gill’s elevation to Test captaincy marks the beginning of a new era in Indian cricket, coming in the wake of Rohit Sharma’s retirement from the format. Alongside Rohit, who had led India since February 2022, fellow stalwarts Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin have also bid farewell to Tests since the start of India’s last Test series.
At 25 years and 258 days, Gill becomes the fifth-youngest cricketer to captain India in Tests, behind Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi (21 years, 77 days), Sachin Tendulkar (23 years, 169 days), Kapil Dev (24 years, 48 days), and Ravi Shastri (25 years, 229 days).
