The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially announced Shubman Gill as the country’s 37th Test captain following a senior selection committee meeting held in Mumbai on Saturday, May 24. The selection panel, headed by Ajit Agarkar, convened alongside BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia at the board’s headquarters to finalize an 18-member squad for the upcoming five-match Test series against England, commencing June 20 at Headingley.
Wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant has been designated as Gill’s vice-captain for the England tour. The squad features several notable inclusions, with Sai Sudharsan and Arshdeep Singh receiving their first Test call-ups. In a significant omission, Mohammed Shami was excluded from the squad due to ongoing fitness concerns, while fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj secured their places in the 18-man roster. India A skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran, who has been traveling with the team, earns another opportunity.
The appointment sees Gill succeed Rohit Sharma, who concluded his Test career in May. Gill’s selection came ahead of Jasprit Bumrah, who had previously led India in three Test matches, including two games during Rohit’s absence in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
At 25 years old, Gill joins the ranks of cricket’s youngest Test captains in recent memory. Despite limited red-ball captaincy experience, he previously led India during a five-match T20I series in Zimbabwe in 2024 and has been captaining Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League. Additionally, Gill has served as vice-captain in both ODI and T20I formats, including India’s successful Champions Trophy campaign in the UAE in February 2025 under Rohit Sharma’s leadership.
Gill’s Test credentials include 32 matches with 1,893 runs and five centuries to his name. The selectors’ decision reflects a strategic approach toward long-term stability as the team enters a new World Test Championship cycle.
Questions remain regarding the timing of Gill’s captaincy appointment, particularly given his ongoing efforts to establish himself as a consistent Test performer. His record in SENA countries and the West Indies shows 559 runs across 13 matches at an average of 25, with only two half-centuries in 24 innings. Notably, since his memorable 91 in India’s historic Brisbane victory in 2021, Gill has not registered a fifty in these challenging overseas conditions.
Gill assumes leadership during a period of significant transition for Indian cricket, both in terms of personnel and strategic direction. Following India’s failure to reach the 2023-2025 World Test Championship final after consecutive series losses to New Zealand at home and Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, there has been increasing discussion about rejuvenating the Test squad with younger talent.
With senior players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma having retired, Gill’s leadership of this relatively youthful squad represents hope for a new era characterized by sustained performance and achievement.
INDIA’S 18-MEMBER SQUAD FOR ENGLAND TEST SERIES:
Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper, vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav