The Indian Test team and new captain for the England tour are going to be announced on 24 May 2025.
Actually, the BCCI selection committee, headed by Ajit Agarkar, will reveal the new Test captain and team in a press conference at 12 noon on Saturday.
The tour will start strongly with a five-Test series starting June 20 at Headingley, Leeds.
Who’re the top contenders for captain and wicketkeeper?
There is an exciting competition going on for the selection of wicketkeeper and captain in the Indian Test team. Rishabh Pant’s place as wicketkeeper in Tests is almost confirmed, but there is a tough fight between Dhruv Jurel and Ishan Kishan for the backup wicketkeeper.
Jurel performed brilliantly in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, while Kishan is making a comeback after a long time. His fate depends on two four-day matches against England Lions, where his performance will be decisive.
The captaincy race is even more interesting. Jasprit Bumrah, who took 32 wickets in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, is out of the race due to injury and workload. Shubman Gill is a strong contender after the retirement of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from Test cricket.
Although his Test record in England is weak (88 runs, average of 14.66), but his young age and leadership ability put him ahead. The selectors want a captain who can play all five Tests.
Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant has also joined the captaincy race. According to a Sky Sports report, the selectors have had informal talks with both Gill and Pant. Pant’s excellent form in IPL 2025 and aggressive batting make him a strong contender.
On the other hand, KL Rahul is also not far behind. He has a 2-1 captaincy record in Tests, including a 2-0 win against Bangladesh in 2022, which shows his experience.
Now the selectors have a tough decision: Gill’s youth, Pant’s energy, or Rahul’s experience. It remains to be seen who will be India’s next Test captain.
England tour: Preparations in full swing
The Indian team will begin its preparations with a four-day practice match at the Kent County Cricket Ground, Beckenham from June 13. India’s Test record on the difficult pitches of England has not been very good.
From 1932 to 2022, India played 67 Tests there, with only 9 wins, 36 losses and 22 draws. In such a situation, this tour will be no less than a litmus test for the new captain and the team.
Potential 18-member team
According to reports, a team of 18 players can be selected for the England tour. The probable names include:
- Shubman Gill (Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudarshan, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, Karun Nair
- Wicketkeeper: Rishabh Pant (Vice-Captain), Dhruv Jurel
- All-rounders: Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar
- Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana
Karun Nair’s return is also in the news, who scored a triple century against England in 2016. There are also high expectations from young faces like Sai Sudarshan and Nitish Reddy.
The press conference to be held on May 24 will not only announce the new captain, but it will also decide whether India’s young brigade will be able to perform well on the difficult pitches of England.
