Shubman Gill named India’s new Test captain

Shubman Gill named India's new Test captain

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.

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:

• 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.

At 25 years and 258 days, Gill becomes the fifth-youngest cricketer to captain India in Tests.

Though relatively inexperienced in red-ball captaincy, Gill has shown promise as captain of the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

"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 and Sai 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.

Shardul Thakur, whose all-round capabilities are expected to be valuable in English conditions, has been recalled. He joins a group of all-rounders that includes Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar. Kuldeep Yadav returns as the lone frontline spinner.

Mohammed Shami was not considered for selection following advice from the medical team.

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.

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.