Shubman Gill Named India’s New Test Captain for England Tour

25-year-old Shubman Gill is now the Test captain of India. He takes over from Rohit Sharma, who retired from Test cricket earlier this month at age 38.

Gill has scored 1,893 runs in 32 Test matches. He will lead a young Indian team in five Test matches in England. The first match starts at Headingley on 20 June.

Fast bowler Mohammed Shami is not in the team. He had an injury, even though he played in the IPL.

Wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant is the new vice-captain. Jasprit Bumrah, who was vice-captain in Australia, might not play all five Tests.

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar said Bumrah is too important as a player. Giving him the captaincy would be too risky.

“We want him to stay fit,” Agarkar said. “We spoke to him and he understands.”

Gill was a top pick for the job. He has led Gujarat Titans in the IPL and also led India in five T20 games.

“He likes being captain in the IPL,” said Agarkar. “This will be harder, but that’s part of international cricket.”

“He has played all formats for a few years. That experience will help him.”

To get ready for the England series, Gill will play for India A against the England Lions. He will join for the second match, starting 6 June at Northampton.

India is starting a new Test Championship cycle without both Rohit and Virat Kohli. Kohli also retired from Tests this month.

Sai Sudharsan may play his first Test. Karun Nair could return after not playing since 2017.

India Test squad:
Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.

Michael Vaughan’s View

Former England captain Michael Vaughan says it looks like Gautam Gambhir wants to build for the future. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and R Ashwin are all gone from Test cricket.

Vaughan says India could have made Bumrah the captain. He thinks Bumrah did a great job as captain in Perth last year.

“I would have picked Bumrah for this tour and had Gill next to him,” said Vaughan. “But Gill is a good choice now and for the future.”

Shami missing the tour is a big loss, says Vaughan. He also believes the team is young and full of talent. He expects Sai Sudharsan to play and do well.

“This team has the skills to help India in Tests for many years,” Vaughan added.