Shubman Gill becomes India’s 37th Test captain, Rishabh Pant vice-captain for England tour

Shubman Gill has been named as India’s 37th Test captain, as confirmed by the BCCI during the senior selection committee meeting held in Mumbai on Saturday, May 24. The selection committee, headed by Ajit Agarkar, along with BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, convened at the board’s headquarters to finalize an 18-member team for the 5-Test series against England, commencing June 20 at Headingley.

Rishabh Pant was appointed as Shubman Gill’s vice-captain for the England tour. Sai Sudharsan and Arshdeep Singh received their first call-ups for Test cricket. In a major selection, Mohammed Shami was omitted due to fitness concerns while Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj were included in the 18. India A captain, Abhimanyu Easwaran, who has been accompanying the team, receives another chance.

Gill succeeds Rohit Sharma, who departed from Test cricket in May. Gill has been selected over Jasprit Bumrah, who previously led India in three Tests, including two games when Rohit was unavailable during 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.

“We have seen the improvement (in his captaincy). I know it’s T20 cricket for Gujarat Titans, but we take feedback from a lot of people. We are hopeful that he is going to be the right guy.

“We are hopeful we have picked the right guy. He is a terrific player,” Agarkar added.

At 25, Gill has established himself as one of the youngest players to occupy the role in recent times. While he has no captaincy experience in the red-ball format, he has captained India in a five-match T20I series in Zimbabwe in 2024. Gill has additionally led Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League.

Gill has captained just five first-class games, securing victory in only one with Punjab. He has also acted as vice-captain in ODIs and T20Is. He served as Rohit Sharma’s assistant during India’s triumph in the Champions Trophy in the UAE in February 2025.

In Test cricket, Gill has participated in 32 games and accumulated 1,893 runs, featuring five centuries. His promotion to the position indicates a progressive choice by the selectors, prioritizing long-term stability as the team moves into a new World Test Championship phase.

Nonetheless, there are worries about whether captaincy has been imposed on Gill, who has not yet secured his position in the Test team. As of now, Gill has accumulated 559 runs in 13 matches across SENA nations and the West Indies, with a batting average of merely 25, including just two fifties in 24 innings. Since his match-winning 91 in the renowned Brisbane Test in 2021, Gill has not managed to achieve a half-century in any of these areas.

Gill is now taking on a leading role at a moment when the team is experiencing a generational change – in both its members and its methods. Since India did not qualify for the 2023-2025 World Test Championship final after consecutive series losses to New Zealand at home and to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, there has been increasing speculation about India aiming to refresh their Test squad with younger players leading the way.