The Indian Cricket Team's highly anticipated test tour of England is almost around the corner. The bumper five-test rubber marks the beginning of the new World Test Championship Cycle (WTC) for 2025-27. The teams will be playing for the 'Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy' as the name of the mega series has been changed from the original 'Pataudi Trophy'. The five matches are slated to be played at Headingley in Leeds, Edgbaston in Birmingham, Lord's in London, Old Trafford in Manchester, and The Oval in London. The first of the marquee clashes commences on Friday, 20th June, and fans are eagerly waiting to witness some exhilarating red ball cricketing action. 

The India Test Team enters this new cycle while being in a transitional phase. With the retirement of stalwarts like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin, a new era beckons for the young group of players in the UK. It's up to the next generation, surrounded with only a few notable senior players currently, to carry forward the legacy and build further. With Shubman Gill being handed over the skipper duties, and some new additions in the squad, it will be interesting to see their blueprint for a healthy transition ahead. 

India's time on the British shores began with an unofficial test series between the England Lions and India A. The purpose of this series was to provide some match practice to the players entering the test arena from IPL T20 cricket. The two 4-day encounters served as red ball game time for a lot of First-Class (FC) cricketers in the reckoning for the senior team. With a few chances of impressing the coach and national selectors by their cricketing skills on English soil, players like Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Harshit Rana, Anshul Kamboj, Abhimanyu Easwaran, and Sarfaraz Khan took the field against the Lions. Both matches ended in draws, however, there was a bigger picture associated with the outcome of the games. Understanding the conditions and analyzing a few players for some potential spots and backups in the main starting XI against England in Leeds were at the topmost of the agenda.

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An intra-squad warm-up match was organised in Beckenham to precede the series opener. All the players from the touring party were divided into two teams for one final simulation and to decide on players staying back. In a surprising and unexpected selection move, Harshit Rana was favoured and added to the test squad for the first game as a bowling cover. The rest of the 'India A' players were on their way back home. In a move that has faced backlash since, it is seen as an unfair one on Anshul Kamboj, potentially the most deserving candidate to be included in the squad, but not to be for now. Both of them, originally, were not in the squad, but Harshit, a 23-year-old right-arm Delhi pacer, got the nod over Anshul, a 24-year-old quick from Haryana. The former debuted in Australia in late 2024 and picked up just four wickets from two 'Border-Gavaskar Trophy' tests. However, the decision of his current inclusion hasn’t gone down well with a former Indian cricketer, who reprimanded the team management for their obsession with Rana.

Anshul Kamboj should have been added to the squad. Don’t understand this obsession with Harshit Rana #ENGvIND

— Dodda Ganesh | ದೊಡ್ಡ ಗಣೇಶ್ (@doddaganesha) June 16, 2025

 

 

 

 

 

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Standing on the right side of numbers in First-Class (FC) cricket, and in the recently played series against the England Lions, Anshul has produced better returns than Harshit. A statistical comparison between the two, in red ball cricket, upholds this fact. 

Keeping the stats under scrutiny and then considering this bizarre decision, speculations have arisen over bias. Fans and former cricketers have spoken out against the team management, selectors, and head coach, Gautam Gambhir, for their favouritism towards Harshit Rana. Anshul Kamboj deserved to stay back and get added to the main squad for the series. It will be interesting to see if Rana can pay back the faith shown in him. Regardless of that, as Shubman Gill takes guard at the dawn of India's next test, unless batters don't play responsibly, much can't be expected from the outcome of the series. India has a great arsenal in their bowling ranks, and they will certainly deliver the goods from the word go. 

The announcement of India's Test squad for the five-match series against England came with several changes - one of the major exclusions was Shreyas Iyer, the middle-order batter who has batted for India. Iyer performed well last season domestically, and while he had represented India in Tests and contributed to the team previously, it felt strange for the selectors to omit Iyer, considering they have picked Shubman Gill as captain and Shreyas Iyer has been under-dropped consistently for long periods when we should have had the option to choose him. This has sparked talk in the cricketing fraternity about whether he was dropped for a lack of form or fitness or if it was a team strategy. 

Shreyas Iyer played 12 Tests for India, where he made 715 runs at a 39.72 average; he has one century and five fifties. Stepping into the Indian Team for the first time against New Zealand was strong; scoring 105 in the first innings and 65 in the second. It prompted readers to place Iyer as dependable in the middle order batter. However, Iyer's performances dipped in subsequent series. In his last five Tests, he averaged 16.80 for the Indian Team and struggled against good pace, particularly with short-pitched deliveries. The Indian Test selectors have looked at his last domestic season for the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy with 480 runs in five matches at an average of 68.57, but they still seem to be signaling a longer-term view of whether Iyer is a player who is good overseas. 

Moreover, balancing the state of the team and looking ahead was also twofold. With the impending retirements of some of the senior team batters, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the team is entering a rebuilding phase. Young talents have been preferred for their recent form and technical adaptability, particularly in swinging and seaming English conditions. This infers that the emphasis of the selectors is to select players that have demonstrated temperament in red ball and were not solely selected on international experience.

The Shift towards Youth and more Specialization

The method of selection clearly indicates a move toward more format-specific roles — example. While Iyer is still a likely candidate in ODIs and T20Is, there have been considerable question marks surrounding his technique versus fast bowling in Test cricket on foreign soil conditions. The selections favored players who have demonstrated a repetition of domestic red ball performance and/or a stable defensive technique as part of the selection for the tour of England.

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While there is concern with Iyer not being selected, this could be a temporary phase. Iyer’s future in Test cricket could hinge on ensuring adjustments to his game and continuing to perform in future domestic tier appeals; while the door remains ajar, at this time India is, without a doubt, prying for player outcomes based on continued red ball performance/experience and ability to adapt to English conditions.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has now made it official: Shubman Gill has taken charge as the new captain of the Indian Test cricket team ahead of a five-match series against England. This is a momentous change in leadership, as the series will also mark the end of Rohit Sharma's prolific Test career. It also marks the start of India’s campaign in the 2025–27 ICC World Test Championship, with the first Test scheduled to take place on June 20, 2025.

At only 25 years of age, Gill has been placed in the hot seat for one of the most difficult assignments in international cricket — a Test series in England. Although Gill has experience captaining the under-19 Indian side against England and the Indian T20I side and Gujarat Titans IPL side, this will be Gill's first time as a captain in Test cricket. The appointed vice-captain will be Rishabh Pant, who is a fearless batsman and is not afraid of playing overseas.

Aside from selecting the captain and vice-captain of the Test squad, the squad announcement signals a clear intent to expand a squad that balances veteran players with emerging players. The inclusion of Karun Nair (who hasn't played Test since 2017) and Sai Sudharsan shows that emerging talent alongside veteran players (like Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja) shows that Indian cricket is preparing for a transitional period with an eye on long-term stability and performance.

A New Beginning Starts in the World Test Championship Cycle

India’s five-match Test series in England will be the first assignment for Gill as captain and will test his tactical mind in tough overseas conditions. The selection of the squad suggests that the selectors are willing to go with fresh faces while still keeping a core of match-winners. The bowling attack is new with Mohammed Shami out due to fitness concerns, and in his place are young pacers such as Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh. 

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The selected squad for the series is Shubman Gill (Captain), Rishabh Pant (Vice-Captain), KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, and Kuldeep Yadav. With a combination of youth and experience, India is expected to have innings stability with ample firepower to conquer English conditions.

After weeks of speculation and anticipation, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will announce the Indian Test squad for the long-awaited England tour tomorrow, Saturday, May 24, 2025. Cricket fans around the world have been waiting to find out the names of the Indian players selected for the upcoming England Test series, with an expectation that the announcement will be broadcast live on the Star Sports Network, allowing cricket fans everywhere to watch a huge moment in Indian cricket.

When and Where to Watch 

The announcement of the Indian Test team will be available on air through various platforms, both television viewing and online streaming. Here is how you can watch it:

• Star Sports: The announcement will be live on Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 2 from 6 PM IST on May 24, 2025. Please check your local service provider (Tata Sky, Airtel, Dish TV) for the exact channel number.
• Disney+ Hotstar: The announcement will be live on Disney+ Hotstar, the official streaming platform for Star Sports content. For best results, ensure you have an active subscription.

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The squad announcement holds particular significance in Indian cricket, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee is anticipated to announce a well-balanced team that meets the demands of upcoming Test challenges. As fans and as the cricketing public, we will be watching to see which players have been included or left off the squad and whether a new or experienced captain has been selected by the selectors according to the most recent domestic and international results. Will selectors move forward with youth or promote experienced campaigners? We will be tuned in.

For those who cannot view the live broadcast, updates will also be provided in real-time across all social media, especially via the BCCI or Star Sports official handles on X. Fans can also follow live blogs or news updates on major sports websites for detailed coverage of the announcement.