Rohit Captain, Karun Nair & Sai Sudharsan IN! India's Likely Squad For England Test Series

Rohit Captain, Karun Nair & Sai Sudharsan IN! India's Likely Squad For England Test Series

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News18.com

Last Updated: May 07, 2025, 06:00 IST

India will face England in a five-match Test series from June 20 to August 4. The BCCI selectors are set to pick India's squad in the coming days.

India's likely squad for Test series against England. (Picture Credit: PTI, AFP)

The Indian men’s cricket team will travel to England next month to take part in a five-match Test series. The series opener is scheduled to take place at Headingley in Leeds from June 20. India have not won a Test series in England since getting the better of the Poms in 2007 with a scoreline of 1-0 in a three-match series under Rahul Dravid’s leadership.

After failing to qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final, Team India would like to make a fresh start in the WTC 2025-27 cycle and secure a rare Test series win in England.

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For the high-profile away series, Indian selectors are set to announce India’s squad in the coming days, and in all likelihood, Rohit Sharma will lead the side. The 38-year-old right-handed batter was horribly out of form in the last Test series India played against Australia between November 2024 and January 2025. After Rohit could only manage to score 31 runs in five innings of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, it was reported that he would not be considered for Test cricket again, but things have changed.

Here’s a look at India’s likely squad for the Test series against England:

Batters: Rohit is all set to feature in the five-match Test series against England and will captain the side as well. Along with him, India’s highest-ranked Test batter Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli are all set to be picked along with KL Rahul, who could also be India’s backup wicketkeeper if needed. It will be interesting to see if Tamil Nadu batter B Sai Sudharsan, who has been in red-hot form these days, also manages to find a place on the flight to England. If the reports are to be believed then there are high chances of his inclusion as a backup opener.

Karun Nair was in red-hot form in the 2024-25 domestic season, and he also has a triple-century to his name in Test cricket against England. The right-handed batter who last played a Test match in 2017 could also get a chance.

Wicketkeepers: Rishabh Pant is horribly out of form in IPL 2025. In 11 matches played so far for Lucknow Super Giants, he has only managed to score 128 runs. But despite his poor show with the bat, there is no threat to his place in the Indian Test side as wicketkeeper-batter, and he will certainly be part of the Test squad as the first-choice stumper. Dhurv Jurel made his Test debut for India against England in the home series last year, and he is likely to be picked as Pant’s back-up for the upcoming tour as well.

All-rounders: Nitish Kumar Reddy was India’s lone fast-bowling all-rounder in the Test series against Australia, and the cricketer from Andhra, after a good show Down Under, will be considered for the England tour as well.

Spinners: After the retirement of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja will be India’s first-choice spinner in Test series against England. Washington Sundar has also impressed with his performances in the last two Test series, and he will also manage to keep his place in the Test squad. However, it will be interesting to see if Kuldeep Yadav, who last played a red-ball match in October 2024, returns to the Test squad. On the basis of current form, Kuldeep surely deserves a place, but there won’t be much help for spinners in England, so the selectors might consider taking only two spinners instead of three.

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Fast bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah was India’s best bowler in the Test series against Australia. In five matches he picked up 32 wickets, which is a record of most wickets in a Test series by an Indian fast bowler. After missing action for four months due to a lower back injury, Bumrah made a successful comeback in IPL 2025 for the Mumbai Indians, and he will lead India’s fast bowling attack in England as well. Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Akash Deep were part of the Test series in Australia, and they are likely to keep their place, but Harshit Rana is expected to make way for Mohammed Shami, who hasn’t played a Test match since featuring in the 2023 WTC final. There are talks about Arshdeep Singh’s inclusion as well, but it looks highly unlikely.

India’s likely squad for the Test series against England: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, B Sai Sudharsan, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna.

First Published: May 07, 2025, 06:00 IST

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