With each passing day, we are inching closer to what will be a historic tour to England for the Indian cricket team. The last one was four years ago, and in between this duration, there has been a lot of chopping and changing in the India squad for England Test series. The India Test team for England has suffered humongous blows, which we will talk about in this piece below, and we will try to figure out the strengths and the best playing 11 for the men.
Contents
Ro-Ko Era Is Over
The major hit to the India Test team for England has been the retirement of their two stalwarts, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. After Rohit called it a day on his Test career almost a month ago, Virat Kohli also expressed his desire to hang up his boots from the format he has loved all his life. This decision from both the players meant a big question for the Indian selector: who will be the Test captain of India 2025?
Related Article：Rohit Sharma’s Test Career：Full Statistics and Captaincy Record
Thank you, Captain 🫡🫡
End of an era in whites!@ImRo45 bids adieu to Test cricket. He will continue to lead India in ODIs.
We are proud of you, Hitman 🫡🫡 pic.twitter.com/azlpZFWdhn
— BCCI (@BCCI) May 7, 2025
There were several options available, but everyone knew it was going to be a three-way battle for the position between Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, and Shubman Gill. Had Bumrah been available for all the Test matches of this upcoming series, it would have been an easy call for Ajit Agarkar and his men. However, when the India squad for England Test series was announced, Shubman Gill was given the responsibility of taking this team forward and being the Test captain of India 2025. So now, the young batter who has impressed everyone in the cricket fraternity with his skills in his short career thus far has been given the biggest responsibility available in Indian cricket.
Related Article：Who Will be India Test Captain Against England？
Say Hello to #TeamIndia‘s newest Test Captain 👋@ShubmanGill pic.twitter.com/OkBmNZT5M0
— BCCI (@BCCI) May 24, 2025
New India Test Captain
He has to take forward the legacy that has been established by Virat Kohli, who instilled a never-say-die attitude in his Test team and never shied away from going for wins even if there was a chance of losing the match.
Shubman Gill-led #TeamIndia are READY for an action-packed Test series 💪
A look at the squad for India Men’s Tour of England 🙌#ENGvIND | @ShubmanGill pic.twitter.com/y2cnQoWIpq
— BCCI (@BCCI) May 24, 2025
India Squad for England Test Series
Shubman Gill (c), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel, Karun Nair, K L Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Shardul Thakur.
Potential Weaknesses for India Test Squad
After having a glance at the India Test team for England, the major point of concern is the lack of experience. If you have a look at the top order and the middle order, only KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant are the two players who have experience playing cricket in the testing conditions of England. This India squad for England Test series is a young squad, as the team is in a rebuilding phase.
With Mohammad Shami also not available due to injury concerns, Bumrah and Siraj will have the added responsibility to lead the pace battery. It will be interesting to see if Gill, the Test captain of India 2025, decides to go with three fast bowlers and Nitish Reddy or four pace bowlers and a batter short.
Players such as Dhruv Jurel and Sai Sudharsan, who have impressed in the domestic circuit and international cricket as well, have also been given an opportunity to be there with the Test team and play fearlessly if the need arises. Some well-deserved inclusions include Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, and Arshdeep Singh, all three of whom have been knocking on the door of the Indian Test team for a long time now.
The exclusion of Sarfaraz Khan from the team is a surprising one, as he did well in whatever opportunities he got in the Test team. Shreyas Iyer has also not been given a chance to be there in the whites, because his experience would have come in handy for the young Indian team travelling to England.
Predicted Playing XI of India for England Series
The squad honestly looks more risky than balanced, but there is a thing about the Indian cricket team: you never count them out. In Gabba 2021, without four first-eleven players, with three debutants in a single series, at the venue where Australia had not lost in the last 30 years, chasing 300+ in the fourth innings, the Indian team pulled off a miracle against all odds and showed world cricket why they are at the helm of this sport.
Predicted XI
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna.
Touchdown UK 🛬#TeamIndia have arrived for the five-match Test series against England 🙌#ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/QK5MMk9Liw
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 7, 2025
Conclusion
As we see it, the Indian Test team for England has nothing to lose but the sky to win. It has been a while since the Indian players have won a Test series in England, and there will not be a better time to change that in the history books.
🗣️ “It’s really important to create a bond with the players as a captain.”#TeamIndia Test captain Shubman Gill talks about his vision and captaincy style ahead of the England tour 🙌 #ENGvIND | @ShubmanGill pic.twitter.com/c8f9oz8TXO
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 5, 2025
The new Test captain of India 2025, Shubman Gill, has everything in his hands to instil a winning mindset in his players and bring the best out of everyone. Let us see what this risky and young India squad for England Test series is capable of, because this is the team that is going to be the next generation of Indian cricket.
