The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s  (BCCI) selection committee meeting will be held on August 19 in Mumbai. The selection committee is holding a meeting to finalise the Indian squad for Asia Cup 2025. With the meeting just less than 24 hours away, there are several permutaions and combinations being discussed by the fans and pundits alike.

One such rumour was that Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer might be back in the squad. But according to reports from Times of India, both Gill and Iyer will not make it to the Asia Cup 2025 squad. The report also confirmed that Suryakumar Yadav will continue as the captain of the side, contrary to reports of Gill being named as the captain for the tournament.

See Also: "Mohammed Siraj did it but..."- Former India star comments on Jasprit Bumrah's criticism after ENG vs IND 2025 Test series

Jasprit Bumrah makes himself available

It was further reported that Jasprit Bumrah, who has been grappling with workload issues, has confirmed his availability and he will be seen playing the tournament. On the other hand, India’s top order trio Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma will continue their duties as they did earlier. Mohammed Siraj, who had a rigorous Test series in England might miss the tournament as the management has decided to rest him.

India’s predicted Asia Cup squad

Batters

Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh

Wicketkeepers

Sanju Samson, Jitesh Sharma

All-rounders

Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube/Nitish Kumar Reddy

Bowlers

Jasprit Bumrah (if fit), Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy

Leading the Indian team in the five-match Test series in England, Shubman Gill performed superbly and proved his critics wrong. Not many experts thought India could do well in the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. India went to England with a young side. Even though Gill was named captain, he had yet to prove his batting skills overseas.

The Indian captain had a memorable tour as both a batter and a leader. In 10 innings across five Tests, he scored 754 runs at an average of 75.40. The 25-year-old made four centuries, including his career-best 269 in Birmingham. He started the tour with 147 in Leeds and also scored a determined 103 under pressure in the Manchester Test.

Gill is often referred to as the heir to Virat Kohli in the Indian team. The two are often called the 'prince' and the 'king'. Kohli has played 37 Tests so far. After his batting performance in England, we compare Gill’s stats with Kohli at the same stage.

Also Read -Watch: Virat Kohli’s cover drives capturing 17 years legacy

Who has scored more runs and has a better average after 37 Tests?

In 37 Tests, Gill has scored 2,647 runs. After the England tour, his average is 41.35. Of his total runs, 1,346 came against England in 15 Tests, with an average of 51.76.

Gill also scored 537 runs in nine Tests against Australia (average 35.80), 324 runs in five Tests against New Zealand (average 32.40), and 321 runs in four Tests against Bangladesh (average 45.85).

After 37 Tests, Kohli had 2,794 runs at an average of 45.06. Of these, 1,276 runs came in 12 Tests against Australia (average 60.76). Kohli scored 426 runs in four Tests against New Zealand (average 85.20), 322 runs in nine Tests against England (average 20.12), and 272 runs in two Tests against South Africa (average 68).

Who has scored more hundreds after 37 Tests?

Gill has played 37 Tests and scored nine centuries and seven fifties. Six of his nine centuries came against England. Before the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, he had two centuries against England at home in early 2024. He also scored two hundreds against Bangladesh and one against Australia.

Kohli had 11 hundreds and 11 fifties. Six of his hundreds came against Australia, with a best of 169 in Melbourne. He also scored two hundreds against New Zealand and one each against England, South Africa, and Sri Lanka.

Record in SENA nations after 37 Tests

Gill played 16 Tests in the SENA nations. He scored 1,268 runs at an average of 42.26, with four centuries (all in England) and two fifties (in Australia). Gill averages 52.62 in eight Tests in England and 35.20 in six Tests in Australia. In two Tests in South Africa, he averages 18.50. He has not played in New Zealand yet.

In Comparison, Kohli played 17 Tests in the SENA nations. He scored 1,612 runs at an average of 48.84, with seven hundreds and four fifties. Five of his hundreds came in Australia, and one each in New Zealand and South Africa. Kohli averaged 62 in eight Tests in Australia, 13.40 in five Tests in England (poor 2014 tour), 71.33 in two Tests in New Zealand, and 68 in two Tests in South Africa.

Record in winning causes after 37 Tests

Gill played 18 Tests that India won. In 33 innings, he scored 1,573 runs at an average of 54.24, with six centuries and three fifties. In 13 Tests that India lost, he scored 657 runs at an average of 25.26, with one century and two fifties.

Kohli played 13 Tests that India won. In 21 innings, he scored 760 runs at an average of 42.22, with two hundreds and five fifties. In 14 Tests that India lost, he scored 962 runs at 34.35, with four hundreds. Five of Kohli’s hundreds came in drawn matches.

Indian team is prepping up for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025 scheduled to commence in September. The squad for the same is slated to be unveiled in less than a week’s time. While there are speculations going around as to whom should be included in the squad, the surprising question about who should be the captain of the side is also in the list of speculations.

India’s current T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav has done well in leading the team in T20Is and some fans are popping Shubman Gill’s name to be the next T20I captain. The suggestions come as Gill, leading India in Tests managed to level the five match series against England by 2-2. And some cricketing fans want Gill to continue as the captain of T20 side too.

See Also: "Mohammed Siraj did it but..."- Former India star comments on Jasprit Bumrah's criticism after ENG vs IND 2025 Test series

It is worth noting that, in around 23 matches Suryakumar Yadav has led the side, he has managed to win around 20 games for India making his winning percentage hover around 80. On the other hand, Gill has not featured in the T20 squad since July 2024. It would be a fair way for Board of Control for Cricket in India to stick with Suryakumar Yadav as the batter has delivered results for the team through his captaincy.

India’s predicted Asia Cup squad

Batters

Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh

Wicketkeepers

Sanju Samson, Jitesh Sharma

All-rounders

Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube/Nitish Kumar Reddy

Bowlers

Jasprit Bumrah (if fit), Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj/Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy

The Day 5 of the Oval Test was filled with intense drama as at one stage India needed just one wickets and England needed less than 10 runs. The plot became even more thrilling as one of the batter, Chris Woakes entered the field with injured shoulder and was taking runs with one hand wrapped under his sweater.

Indians were eager to finish things off early but Woakes and Gus Atkinson were adamant in taking single on the final ball of the over to keep Woakes away from strike. Before the end of the Atkinson, the final ball of Mohammed Siraj’s penultimate over, provided an opportunity of potential run out. Mohammed Siraj discussed the tactic they indulged to gwt Woakes on the strike and get him out.

See Also: 'Better than Ashes 2005...'- Ravichandran Ashwin's groundbreaking comparison of ENG vs IND 2025 Test series

“That wide yorker was our (Siraj and Gill’s) plan. It was the last ball of the over, and we knew they won’t want to get Woakes on strike. So he said that we can bowl a wide yorker because there was a chance of a run-out too. They wouldn’t have been able to hit it for a six, and we wanted a dot ball,” Siraj said as quoted by News18.

Siraj had told me to ask Jurel to remove his gloves : Gill

The game would have concluded in the Siraj’s penultimate over, if and only wicketkeeper had thrown the ball onto the stumps. But Woakes was quick to run towards the other end unscathed. After the game Shubman Gill provided insight into what traversed on the field.

“He had told me to ask Dhruv Jurel to remove his gloves for the run-out," Gill said. “Jab tak maine Dhruv ko bola ye bhagne lag gaya aur usko time ni mila. Toh usne miss kardi and isne mujhe bola, ‘Tuune bola kyu nahi?’ (Till the time I could go and tell Dhruv, Siraj had already started running for the ball. So he missed the run-out, and he came asking me why I didn’t tell Dhruv!),” Gill added.

India captain Shubman Gill is in marauding for in the ongoing series against England. In 9 innings, he has scored 743 runs at an impressive average of 82.56. On his way to this rare feat, he has broken several records and with one innings to go in the series, there are some records he might as well break before boarding the India flight.

Records Shubman Gill can break in Oval Test:

Breaking Graham Gooch’s record

If Shubman Gill scores 10 more runs in the Oval Test, he will break former England cricketer, Graham Gooch’s record for most runs in a Test series played between India and England. Gooch has scored 752 runs in three match Test series in 1990.

See Also: [WATCH] 'Indian players will play The Hundred '- ECB chair drops bombshell

Breaking Sunil Gavaskar’s record

Gill needs 32 more runs to break Sunil Gavaskar’s record for most runs for India in a Test series. Gavaskar had scored 774 runs against West Indies in 1971. Gill is just a stone’s throw away from breaking the record.

800 runs in a Test series

If Gill scores 57 or more runs in the second innings of the Oval Test, he will become the first batsman from Asia to score 800 or more runs in a Test series. No other batter from Asia has achieved this milestone yet.

Breaking Don Bradman's record

Gill needs 68 more runs to break Don Bradman's record for most runs in a Test series as a captain. Bradman had scored 810 runs against Australia in thr 1936-37 Ashes series as a captain. 

Thanks to captain Shubman Gill and KL Rahul’s unbeaten partnership of 174 runs for the third wicket after losing both Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan in the opening over against Chris Woakes at Old Trafford in Manchester. At one point, it felt like the game would finish by the end of the day, but both showed resilience.

The former Indian batting coach, Sanjay Bangar, has expressed that both the right-handed batters had displayed excellent character during difficult conditions when the ball seamed and swung in cloudy conditions, as Ben Stokes tried various plans to break the stand.

See Also: Exclusive!! Virat Kohli's Nephew Aryaveer Kohli shares his cricket journey and plans for DPL 2025

‘Even coming into the England conditions, the opening partnership has worked brilliantly, along with the top order, is for the contribution of KL Rahul, who plays the new ball. Shubman Gill also did that because they lost two wickets in the opening over. He played the early overs beautifully when the ball was swinging much, and there was uneven bounce.’ Bangar expressed during a recent interaction on Star Sports.

Watch: Sanjay Bangar reflects on Shubman Gill and KL Rahul’s partnership in ENG vs IND 4th Test in Manchester

Gill remained unbeaten on 78 runs in 167 balls, shouldering on 167 balls, shouldering on 10 boundaries at a strike rate of 46.71. On the other hand, Rahul drilled 87 runs in 210 balls, with eight boundaries at 41.43.

Early setback ➡️ Solid comeback!#SanjayBangar lauds the resilience, grit & character showed by @ShubmanGill & @klrahul on Day 4 of the Manchester Test! 💪🏻

Will they continue to wear down England and take #TeamIndia to safety? 👀#ENGvIND 👉 4th TEST, DAY 5 | SUN, 27th JULY,… pic.twitter.com/yYTVRqem9f

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 27, 2025

‘There were short ball plans, and I was invited to play the big shots. But they still held their concentrations. When the boundaries were dried up for over 20 overs, they didn’t lose their character, resilience, and grit, and put up an attractive partnership between them.’ Bangar addressed.

Ben Stokes didn’t bowl for England in the second innings as he was struggling with a hamstring injury. Marcus Trescothick, the batting coach of the England side, remained hopeful of the pacer returning in full rhythm on the fifth day. Another part for the home side will be to break the stand before the second new ball arrives, which will open the gate for them to smell victory and earn the series before Kennington Oval.

India’s bowling wasn’t up to the mark with the new ball in the last hour of the middle session of the second day’s play in the fourth Test of the five-match series against England at Old Trafford in Manchester. The home openers took full advantage of it and drilled over 100 runs at a rate of more than five. It was a pleasant sight for the fans, who had the routine of seeing India’s dominating pace bowling.

At the end of the day’s play, the veteran all-rounder of the side, Shardul Thakur, lashed out at his captain, Shubman Gill, in the press conference for not giving him more overs in the day. Thakur went for 35 runs in his five overs without any success at an economy of seven, but revealed that he could have bowled a couple of more overs.

See Also: [WATCH] 'MS Dhoni sees...'- GT star analyzes former India captain's leadership knowledge

‘If you talk about the first game at Leeds, they told me that there were not many scopes to throw the ball at me. It’s generally the captain’s call, and the players don’t have much to say in it. In this match, the way the game has progressed, I could have bowled two more overs. But the game is still a long way off. I try to use the experience and bowl.’ The Mumbai all-rounder revealed in the presser.

Watch: Shardul Thakur targets Shubman Gill for under-bowling him in Eng vs Ind 4th Test

He also highlighted a little on Rishabh Pant’s fitness, where he said, ‘It will call. He didn’t come on the bus today because he was in the hospital. He wasn’t at the ground when we were warming up. It’s a fracture- the news is already out. It was always our plan to make him bat. The medical team did a great job.’

Shardul Thakur cooked Shubman Gill the captain 😭🔥

Even his teammates don’t respect him😂

pic.twitter.com/ATA02LJ3FW

— Rohan💫 (@rohann__45) July 25, 2025

India couldn’t break the opening stand for the 166 runs before Ravindra Jadeja used his skills to find the outside edge of a lazy defense from Zak Crawley at the slip corridor for 84 runs in 113 balls.

A few overs later, the debutant Anshul Kamboj got the huge wicket of Ben Duckett on 94, who was trying to cut the short ball but was surprised with its extra bounce to get an outside edge into the hands of the wicket-keeper. England finished the day with 225/2.

Legendary Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar has called on Shubman Gill and the Indian team to take a short break following their defeat to England in the first Test at Headingley but made it clear that they must switch to intense, full-fledged practice immediately after. Gavaskar emphasized that the team should discard the idea of 'optional practice' and instead focus completely on preparations for the second Test at Edgbaston.

Speaking to Sony Sports, Gavaskar cited Cheteshwar Pujara's example to drive home his point. He explained how Pujara never backed away from training, even during optional sessions, and was often questioned by coaches for pushing himself. "Next couple of days you can take off, but now seriously get into practice. Leave this optional practice aside. You have come here to play for India. So, you practice in a way so that you will give yourself the best chance," he said.

"I mean Cheteshwar Pujara has been part of the optional team. I know when he opted to bat, there have been people who have said, 'What are you doing?' including the coaching staff. I have seen some of the coaching staff, not this one; Cheteshwar was not part of this team. they said, "Can't you have a break or something?" Gavaskar remarked, highlighting Pujara's unmatched work ethic.

Gavaskar recommends team changes for Edgbaston Test

The former skipper also suggested a few changes for the second Test starting on July 2 in Birmingham. He backed the inclusion of wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav in place of Shardul Thakur, citing the surface at Edgbaston that might offer slight assistance to spin. "Whether Jasprit Bumrah is fit or not, I think Kuldeep Yadav has to come into the team. I do believe that he should come into the team for Shardul Thakur," he said.

See Also: WATCH: Former cricketer hilariously recreates Rishabh Pant’s scoop shot in ongoing ENG vs IND 2025 Test series

Gavaskar added that further changes might be needed depending on how the second match goes. "If things don't go well in the second test, maybe Sai (Sudharsan) and Karun (Nair). I don't want to drop them at the moment. Then I'd also look at Washington (Sundar) so that it really gives you a more solid batting and also get a little more variety as far as the bowling is concerned."

Shubman Gill's Test captaincy debut didn't unfold the way he would have hoped, as India suffered a five-wicket defeat to England in the opening Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Headingley on June 24. The match exposed several areas where India faltered, but it also brought attention to Gill's leadership style and on-field presence in his first outing as captain. While Gill exhibited instances of calm and composure, many viewers felt he lacked the decisive authority associated with his predecessors.

Former England captain Nasser Hussain shared his own views about Gill's leadership on Sky Sports, adding that the young captain appeared to be "finding his way" at the beginning of a new role. “I thought I saw someone just finding his way, honestly. You’ve got to be very careful in the first Test match; the people he’s (Gill) taken over from are Kohli and then Rohit Sharma. I thought he didn’t quite have that on-field aura as the names I mentioned there. You look down on those two previous names, and you immediately see who was in charge of India,” Hussain explained.

He also noted that it looked like there were multiple leaders on the field, with senior players like Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul seemingly guiding Gill during crucial moments. Hussain described it as "captaincy by committee," a common occurrence when a new leader is still finding his footing. “I looked down from the press box, the commentary position, there were a lot of captains; it was a bit captaincy by committee, which can happen in your early days as a leader because you’re still senior players like Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul want to try and help you out as much as possible. I thought he followed the ball a lot. I thought he was reactive as opposed to proactive,” he added.

Hussain critiques tactical oversight with Jadeja

Nasser also highlighted a specific moment involving Ravindra Jadeja that, in his view, reflected the gap in tactical sharpness. He pointed out that neither Gill nor any other senior member appeared to instruct Jadeja to use the rough patches on the pitch effectively—something that was heavily discussed in the commentary box. “A word with Jadeja, maybe as a young captain, to go to such an experienced spinner and go, you do know the rough is out there. Ravi Shastri and Mark Butcher are up there, going, show us where that ball is pitching, and it was pitching nowhere near the rough. Ravi was saying, a bit slow, a bit wide, bowl in the rough,” Hussain observed.

See Also: ENG vs IND: Three key reasons why India lost first Test match at Leeds, Headingley

surprise, he added, “I was surprised that not one of the senior players or captains went to Jadeja and said, ‘Can we go a little bit wider?’” But Ravi’s right, they lost the game for two things that he couldn’t control.” While Hussain acknowledged factors beyond Gill’s control contributed to the loss, his comments underline how leadership decisions—or the lack thereof—played a role in India’s defeat.

India’s much-anticipated new era in Test cricket under Shubman Gill got off to a rocky start as England pulled off a stunning five-wicket win in the first Test at Headingley. Chasing a massive target of 371 — the second-highest successful run chase in their Test history—England took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. Ben Duckett’s aggressive 149, helped by Zak Crawley, Joe Root, and debutant Jamie Smith, revealed India’s many weaknesses. It wasn’t as though the visitors were denied victory by a lack of runs—four Indian batters made centuries, and they enjoyed a dominant position in the first innings—but they failed, again, through their own mistakes. Here are three reasons for India’s defeat.

1. Batting Collapses at Crunch Moments

India posted a massive 471 in the first innings and followed up with 364 in the second. But the scorecard doesn’t reveal the collapses that proved pivotal. They were 430/3 in the first innings but lost their last seven wickets for 41 runs. The same trend was followed in the second innings, folding from 333/5 to 364 all out. Debutant Sai Sudharsan and comeback man Karun Nair wasted opportunities, and the lower order could not provide resistance. These late-evening breakdowns cost India a chance to set an unreachable target.

2. Fielding Failures and Dropped Catches

India’s fielding let them down badly, especially in the second innings. Yashasvi Jaiswal dropped four catches—the most by a player in a single Test innings—including a sitter when Ben Duckett was on 97. Duckett capitalized on the reprieve to score 149 and swing the game decisively in England’s favor. The missed chances shifted momentum in England’s favor. Even beyond Jaiswal, the slip cordon looked shaky, Rishabh Pant was inconsistent behind the stumps, and the overall fielding energy seemed flat. Some fans even mocked Jaiswal on X after a viral video showed him dancing near the boundary right after dropping Duckett’s catch, further fueling criticism.

See Also: [WATCH] ENG vs IND 1st Test: Yashasvi Jaiswal dances after dropping 4 catches, gets trolled online

3. Unbalanced and Ineffective Bowling Attack

India’s bowling lacked sharpness in the final innings. Jasprit Bumrah collected 5/83 in the first innings but was blunted on Day 5. The other part of the attack—Siraj, Shardul Thakur, and Prasidh Krishna—was unable to make consistent impacts. Shardul’s inclusion for his batting didn’t justify his ineffectiveness with the ball, and Prasidh looked rusty. Ravindra Jadeja couldn't control the middle overs either. With no wrist-spinner or extra pacer in sight, India’s attack lacked bite and variety to break England’s resolve.

While this Headingley loss isn’t a disaster, it’s a sharp reminder of where India stands in transition. The team has talent, but plugging middle-order gaps, lifting fielding standards, and building bowling depth will be critical as they head to Birmingham for the second Test.