Shubman Gill named India's new Test captain

Gill will take over from Rohit Sharma, who recently retired in the format © Getty
Shubman Gill has been appointed the new captain of India's Test team. The announcement was made by Ajit Agarkar, India Men's chairman of selectors, on Saturday while unveiling the squad for the upcoming five-Test series in England, slated to begin in June. Rishabh Pant has been named as Gill's deputy.

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.

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

Though relatively inexperienced in red-ball captaincy, having led in just five first-class matches, including once in the Ranji Trophy, Gill has shown promise as captain of the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL), guiding them to a playoff berth in his second season in charge.

"We obviously discussed every option that's there. Over the last year or so, we have looked at Shubman at various times, even when we played England last year, to take a lot of feedback, even in the dressing room as well," said Agarkar. "Obviously, he is very young but you have seen the improvement - and I know it's T20 cricket - for GT [Gujarat Titans] as well. We are hopeful we have picked the right guy. He's a terrific player, and best wishes to him."

Agarkar did not confirm where Gill would bat, but India have included players like Karun Nair -- who last played a Test in 2017 and makes the cut on the back of a prolific domestic season -- and the uncapped Sudharsan, both of whom are capable of slotting in at No. 3 or No. 4. KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal remain the incumbent openers, with Abhimanyu Easwaran named as the reserve. Padikkal, who batted at No. 3 during the Perth Test earlier this year, has been left out since he is recovering from an injury.

There is also a recall for Shardul Thakur, whose all-round capabilities are expected to be valuable in English conditions. He joins a group of all-rounders that includes Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar. Kuldeep Yadav, who was unfit for the Australia tour, returns as the lone frontline spinner.

Agarkar revealed that Shami was not considered for selection following advice from the medical team, which deemed him unfit to endure the rigours of Test bowling at this stage. "He's been trying to get fit for a series but I think he's had a setback over the last week or so. He's got some MRI done. I'd like to mention I don't think he was going to be able to play five Tests at the moment. I don't think his workload is where it needs to be, so it's just the medical guys who've told us that he's been ruled out of the series, unfortunately.

"We were hoping him to be available for some part of the series at least but if he's not fit at the moment, it's very difficult to keep waiting. We'd rather plan with the guys that are fit and available at the moment."

Arshdeep Singh, a regular in India's white-ball squads, has earned a Test call-up and will bolster a pace attack led by Jasprit Bumrah and also featuring Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Akash Deep. Harshit Rana, who featured in two Tests in Australia, was not included. Dhruv Jurel is the back-up keeper in the squad.

The Test series will commence on June 20 in Headingly, Leeds. The following Tests will be held in Edgbaston, Lord's, Old Trafford and Oval respectively.