Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 20: As India gears up for their Test series against England, a new chapter begins under the leadership of 25-year-old Shubman Gill, who has been appointed the new Test captain following the retirement of legends Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from red-ball cricket.
With the dawn of a fresh era in Indian cricket, former head coach Gary Kirsten shared his thoughts on Gill’s captaincy during an interaction with JioHotstar. “I think Shubman is going to be a great leader. He’s a smart cricketer with a good cricketing brain. He understands his game, is very talented, and more importantly, a good human being. Leadership at this level brings pressure, and this will be a real test for any young leader,” said Kirsten.
Although Gill lacks significant red-ball captaincy experience, he has shown leadership potential, having captained India in a T20I series against Zimbabwe in 2024 and leading Gujarat Titans in the IPL. He has also served as vice-captain in ODIs and T20Is, and played a pivotal role in India’s Champions Trophy triumph in the UAE earlier this year.
Gill has already made a solid mark in Test cricket, scoring 1,893 runs in 32 matches, including five centuries.
India’s five-match Test series against England will take place from June to August 2025, with matches scheduled at Headingley (Leeds), Edgbaston (Birmingham), Lord’s (London), Old Trafford (Manchester), and The Oval (London). This marks the first major series without the presence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, putting the spotlight firmly on a youthful squad and its new leader.
India Squad for England Test Series: Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (vice-captain & wicketkeeper), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudarshan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.
England, meanwhile, has retained much of its lineup from their one-off Test against Zimbabwe. Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett will open, followed by Ollie Pope at number three. Veteran Joe Root and young star Harry Brook add strength to the middle order, while Ben Stokes continues as captain.
England Playing XI for 1st Test vs India: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir.