The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the Indian national team's squad ahead of the all-important 2025 Test series against England.
Starting on June 20, the series will kickstart a new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, with the final scheduled to be played in 2027. The BCCI picked a team filled with young guns, following the retirement of stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, keeping in line with their vision of grooming the new generation for the upcoming cycle.
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A few surprise picks have been made by the BCCI for the series, who have handed maiden Test call-ups to several players.
The biggest surprise is the exclusion of Mohammed Shami, who has been excluded as he was considered fully fit by the medical team, particularly for the longer red-ball format. Barring Jasprit Bumrah, who will lead the attack, India appears to lack experience in the bowling department.
Shubman Gill has been handed the captaincy of the team after Rohit Sharma decided to step down from the longest format earlier this month.
Ravichandran Ashwin's retirement has paved the way for Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar to find a place in the Test squad. Axar Patel misses out due to injury sustained ahead of the all-important clash against the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
The Men in Blue will be playing a five-match Test series on English soil, as they look to shrug off their recent struggles against New Zealand and Australia respectively.
READ MORE: Shami: Jasprit Bumrah and I must play IND vs ENG Tests in Rohit and Kohli's absence
Complete India squad for Test series against England
On Saturday, May 24, the BCCI announced an 18-man squad for the five-match Test series against England.
The likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill will be the mainstays in the Indian top-order, while Sai Sudharsan has been handed his maiden Test call-up due to his recent exploits in the IPL and the domestic circuit.
KL Rahul too keeps his place in the squad, with Abhimanyu Easwaran getting picked as a backup for the opening spot.
Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel are two main wicket-keepers selected for the tour, while Sarfaraz Khan and Shreyas Iyer have been ignored. The surprise inclusion of Karun Nair has been the talking point in the Indian cricketing fraternity as the batter makes a comeback to the squad after 2017.
Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar are the three spinners who will be flying for the series against the Three Lions.
India squad for England Test series 2025:
- Shubman Gill (c)
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Sai Sudharsan
- Abhimanyu Easwaran
- KL Rahul
- Rishabh Pant (wk &vc)
- Dhruv Jurel (wk)
- Karun Nair
- Nitish Kumar Reddy
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Mohammed Siraj
- Arshdeep Singh
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Washington Sundar
- Prasidh Krishna
- Akash Deep
- Shardul Thakur
Which fast-bowlers have India picked for England Test tour 2025?
The pace bowling unit is being headed by Jasprit Bumrah, with Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Akash Deep all getting call-ups. Arshdeep Singh and Nitish Kumar Reddy too find a place in the squad after their performances in the BGT 2024/25. Shardul Thakur too gets a call-up.
Full schedule for the England Test series 2025
| Test | Date | Time (IST) | Venue |
| 1st | June 20 - June 24 | 3:30 PM | Headingly Carnegie |
| 2nd | July 2 - July 6 | 3:30 PM | Edgbaston |
| 3rd | July 10 -July 14 | 3:30 PM | Lord's |
| 4th | July 23 -July 27 | 3:30 PM | Old Trafford Cricket Ground |
| 5th | July 31 - August 4 | 3:30 PM | The Oval |