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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on May 24 announced India's squad for the five-Test match series against England, which is scheduled to take place later this year. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar and former cricketer who is also a part of the selection committee, Shiv Sunder Das, announced the squad, followed by a press conference.
BCCI also announced Shubman Gill as India's new captain since Rohit Sharma announced his retirement on May 7. India middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer, who has had a dreamy domestic season, has been ignored in India's 18-member squad. Karun Nair and Abhimanyu Easwaran, who have been performing in domestic cricket for the past few years, were selected over him.
"Yeah, Shreyas Iyer has played well in domestic cricket, but at the moment, there is no room for him in the Test Team,” Ajit Agarkar stated.
The five-Test match series between India and England is scheduled to start from June 20, and this will be the team's first assignment after a humiliating 3-1 loss in Australia in the five-Test match series of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
Agarkar also explained why the selection committee picked Shubman Gill over Jasprit Bumrah.
"Bumrah because he has led us in Australia but one, he is not available for all the Test matches. I think we wanted him more as a player. It's always extra burden when you are managing 15-16 people. It takes a lot out of you. We would rather have him as a bowler. Hope he has a big series. He is an important player for us, so having him fit as a bowler important. He knows where his body is at the moment," Agarkar said.
"With KL not really, basically he captained a while back but I was not there at that time. We hope he has a big series. But, regarding Bumrah, having hims fit as a bowler is crucial."
Agarkar emphasised that a captain is not selected for one or two series and long-term planning has to be kept in mind while making such calls.
"You don't select a captain for one or two series, you have to plan for the longer term. We are hopeful that he [Shubman Gill] will learn with time," Ajit Agarkar said in a press conference.
| India vs England five-match Test series full schedule | ||||
| Test | Date | Venue | City | Time |
| 1st | 20th June | Headingley | Leeds | 3:30 PM IST |
| 2nd | 2nd July | Lord's cricket ground | London | 3:30 PM IST |
| 3rd | 10th July | Emirates Old Trafford | Manchester | 3:30 PM IST |
| 4th | 23rd July | Edgbaston | Birmingham | 3:30 PM IST |
| 5th | 31st July | Kennington Oval | London | 3:30 PM IST |
India squad for England series
Shubman Gill(C), Rishabh Pant(vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Parishdh Krishna, Akashdeep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav
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