Shubman Gill has been appointed India’s 37th Test captain and will succeed Rohit Sharma.
The announcement was made by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) during the senior selection committee meeting in Mumbai on Saturday (May 24).
The Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel and BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia met at the board headquarters to pick a 18-man squad for the 5-Test series against England, starting June 20 at Headingley.
This officially begins the new era for the Indian red-ball set-up after the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
Rishabh Pant has been named Gill’s deputy starting from India’s tour of England.
The likes of Sai Sudharsan and Arshdeep Singh were handed maiden call-ups in Test cricket. In a big call, Mohammed Shami was not picked due to fitness issues while the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj made it to the 18.
Gill has been picked ahead of Jasprit Bumrah, who had already captained India in three Tests, including two matches in the absence of Rohit in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
“You don’t pick captain for one or two series. We have to think long term. In the last year or so, we have looked at Shubman in the previous times even when we played England last year. He has made a lot of impact in the dressing room,” chief selector Ajit Agarkar said after announcing the squad on Saturday.
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At 25, Gill has become one of the youngest players to hold the position in recent years. Though he lacks captaincy experience in the red-ball format, he has led India in a five-match T20I assignment in Zimbabwe in 2024. Gill has also been captained Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League.
India’s Test series against England is scheduled to kick off from June 20 with the fifth and final Test starting July 31.
