In a significant leadership shift, Shubman Gill has been appointed as the new captain of India’s red-ball team. This decision marks a bold move toward youth and transition in Indian cricket, as the team prepares for a pivotal Test series in England, one that could define the early phase of Gill’s captaincy.
With England also undergoing a period of change, former India batting coach and current JioStar expert Sanjay Bangar believes the timing is ideal for India to assert dominance overseas. “If this group of players manages to win a Test series in England, I think that’s going to be a great start for his (Gill’s) leadership tenure,” Bangar said on JioHotstar. He further added, “The calls that have been taken will be vindicated if the tour goes India’s way. I’m pretty hopeful that this will be a series wherein you win a couple of Test matches, and if the other side falters, you might just end up winning the series as well.”
At just 25, Gill becomes one of the youngest players in recent history to lead India in Tests. Although he lacks direct captaincy experience in the longest format, he has shown leadership promise by captaining India in a five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe in 2024. He also leads the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and has served as vice-captain in both ODIs and T20Is.
Earlier this year, Gill was Rohit Sharma’s deputy during India’s Champions Trophy triumph in the UAE in February 2025. In his red-ball career so far, Gill has featured in 32 Test matches, amassing 1,893 runs, including five centuries, a testament to his potential as a dependable long-format batsman. As Gill prepares to lead India in English conditions, all eyes will be on how the young skipper handles both the expectations and the pressure of Test captaincy.
India’s Test squad for England series: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.
