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India's newly appointed Test captain Shubman Gill knows what exactly he needs to do in his very first assignment, which is the upcoming England tour. India and England will play a five-match Test series starting from June 20 and the visiting team has already reached London to gear up for the all-important outing.
Let’s play every ball with a purpose: Shubman Gill's message for his teammates ahead of England tour
Under the new motto 'Play with purpose', the Indian cricket team is poised to enter a new era. With Gautam Gambhir taking the reins as coach and Shubman Gill as captain, a youthful squad is preparing for a formidable challenge in England. The team's journey will begin with the first of a five-match Test series at Headingley, Leeds, on June 20, signaling the start of a tricky transition period in demanding conditions.
This series marks a significant turning point for Indian cricket, as it will be the first since the departure of stalwarts Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin. While Ashwin retired from international cricket late last year, Kohli and Rohit bid farewell to the Test format in May. The team will also be without the services of experienced pacer Mohammed Shami, further highlighting the shift towards a new generation of players.
With this change comes opportunity for others to step into the spotlight. Veteran batsman Karun Nair has been recalled to the side after an absence of nearly eight years. Meanwhile, promising youngsters such as Sai Sudharsan and Arshdeep Singh will be looking to capitalise on this tour to cement their places in India's red-ball setup.
At the young age of 25, Shubman Gill is set to take on the big responsibility of leading the Indian Test team. With an experience of 32 Test matches, he will make history as the fourth-youngest captain to lead India in the longest format of the game.
In anticipation of his captaincy debut, Gill has already begun to establish the team's direction and mindset for the challenging tour that lies ahead. Gill wants his pack to play with purpose and put themselves under a little bit pressure so as to perform better.
"Let’s play every ball with a purpose. Let’s make each and every net session meaningful and let’s prepare like that. And let’s put ourselves under a little bit of pressure when we are going out there. It’s not about going out there and surviving, let’s try to find out our game — how we are going to play when we are put under pressure. Be it our bowlers or batters. Let’s play every ball with a purpose,” Gill said in a huddle speech.
Following the first Test match scheduled in Leeds, the England-India Test series will continue its journey across several iconic cricket grounds. The second Test will be held at Edgbaston from July 2 to June 6. Immediately after, the teams will head to the historic Lord's Cricket Ground, where the third Test will take place between July 10 and June 14. Moving further across England, the fourth Test is slated to be hosted at Old Trafford from July 23 to July 27. Finally, the series will culminate at The Oval, with the fifth and final Test match scheduled from July 31 to August 4.
India's Test squad for England tour:
Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc, wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudarshan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav
England squad for first Test against India:
Ben Stokes (Captain), Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes
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