India tour of England 2025: Shubman Gill named new test captain as Men in Blue announce 16-man squad.
Shubman Gill has been handed the Indian cricket team‘s test captaincy before the Men in Blue’s tour of England. India is scheduled to play 5 test matches in England starting from June 20.
While the first test match will be played at Headingley-Leeds, the second, third, fourth, and fifth ones are scheduled to be played at Edgbaston-Birmingham, Lords-London, Old Trafford-Manchester, and Oval-London, respectively.
The vice-captaincy for the England tour has been given to Rishabh Pant after reports earlier suggested that Jasprit Bumrah is unlikely to play all 5 test matches. Another major takeaway from India’s 16-man squad announcement was a test recall for Karun Nair after a gap of 7 years. While Sai Sudharsan has got a maiden test call-up, Abhimanyu Easwaran is also included in the squad.
India’s squad for the England test series looks balanced
It can be inferred that the selectors have tried to cover all the positions while keeping the English conditions in mind. This is why major attention has been paid to the medium-pace bowling all-rounders category as well. Names like Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shardul Thakur are included. They are expected to play their part over the course of the 5-match series.
Shardul Thakur has played well in England in the past. Nitish Kumar Reddy showed promise in the Australian tour, scoring a memorable century and chipping in with crucial contributions down the order. However, there is still room for improvement in his bowling. But the importance of a fifth bowler in English conditions can’t be underestimated.
In addition to pace bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna, India also has three spinners in its arsenal in the form of Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, and Kuldeep Yadav. Jadeja and Sundar are expected to contribute with the bat as well. Kuldeep might be used wisely according to conditions that will suit him throughout the series.
KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, and Rishabh Pant are expected to share the top six batting slots between them on the tour. However, the opening combination remains uncertain as of now, leading into the series.
Shubman Gill led India’s 16-man squad for the England test series
Here is the Indian Cricket team’s 16-man squad for the 2025 tour of England:
Batsmen: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill (captain), Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, and Karun Nair.
Wicketkeepers: Rishabh Pant (vice-captain) and Dhruv Jurel.
All-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Shardul Thakur.
Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Kuldeep Yadav.
