New Test era begins as India name captain

In a press conference, the Board of Control for Cricket in India announced Shubman Gill as the new captain for the Test side.

The right-handed batter has featured in 32 Tests for the country, and has 1893 runs at an average of 35.05, with five tons to his name.

Gill has previously captained India in the T20I format, having led the side in the five-game series in Zimbabwe in July 2024.

His first assignment as the full-time Test captain will be on the tour of England. Following the retirements of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin, the Asian side will bear a new look for their five-Test tour starting 20 June - the series that will mark the beginning of the new ICC World Test Championship cycle.

India's chairman of the selection committee, Ajit Agarkar, discussed Gill's appointment in the press conference.

"Over the last year or so, we’ve looked at Shubman at various times. You take a lot of feedback from the dressing room as well.

"He’s very young but we’ve seen the improvement. I know it’s T20 cricket for GT [Gujarat Titans in IPL] as well, but you take feedback from a lot of people.

"We are hopeful that he’s the guy. It’s always going to be a high-pressure job, like it always is, but we are hopeful that we’ve picked the right guy. He’s a terrific player."

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