The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squad for the tour to England, starting June 20. With stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli having recently retired from Test cricket, the team is in a transitional phase. 

The biggest news that came out was that the young Shubman Gill has been named captain, and the squad will travel to England to begin their World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle with matches at Headingley, Edgbaston, Lord’s, Old Trafford, and The Oval between June and August.

Meanwhile, the selection of Abhimanyu Easwaran, B Sai Sudharsan, and Karun Nair points to a strategy of rewarding consistent domestic performances. Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul are expected to open the innings, with Gill slotted at the important No. 4 position, previously held by Kohli.

The No. 3 spot is set to be a toss-up between Sudharsan and Nair. The former, who had a successful stint with Surrey in County cricket and a breakthrough IPL season, is likely to make his Test debut. Dynamic batter Rishabh Pant returns as the wicketkeeper and is named the vice captain, despite questions over his form.

Additionally, spin-bowling all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar are expected to add depth to the squad. Nitish Kumar Reddy, who has been retained, is expected to play a key role in the middle-order. However, his performance will be closely watched, especially in seaming English conditions.

In the bowling department, India will rely heavily on the pace duo of and Mohammed Siraj. Meanwhile, left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh has earned his maiden Test call-up and is also expected to be handed his debut. The 26-year-old has previously represented Kent in the County Championship in 2023. 

Notably, the long-awaited return of star pacer Mohammed Shami in Test cricket has once again faced a challenge, as he has not built up the necessary workload for the longest format of the game. Furthermore, the veteran pacer has had an underwhelming season for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the ongoing IPL, and it might not have convinced selectors to pick him with his current form.

Another major news that came out of the lot was the incoming of pace-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur to the dressing room following a great run of form in the domestic circuit. Thakur last carried the baggy blue in 2023 against South Africa and was recently picked for India A's tour of England.

Additionally, Kuldeep Yadav and Prasidh Krishna also find themselves in the mix. Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer, despite his good form in the domestic circuit and for India in the 50-over format, hasn't found a spot. According to reports, the selectors were unconvinced of his red-ball abilities, supporting players with more suitable defensive techniques.

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