Shubman Gill: India’s New Test Captain for England Tour 2025
India has announced its Test squad for the England tour in June. Shubman Gill will lead the team. This is a big moment for the 25-year-old from Punjab’s Fazilka.
The last men’s cricketer from Punjab to captain India in Tests was the great Bishan Singh Bedi. His captaincy ended on November 19, 1978. Shubman Gill is set to make history after nearly 45 years.
Shubman Gill has a big task ahead. He needs to continue the legacy of the three full-time captains who led India before him.
The Big Three Legacy
Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and MS Dhoni were the three full-time captains before Gill. Let’s see how Gill’s journey compares with these three greats.
Matches Played Before Becoming Captain
Shubman Gill will make his captaincy debut in his 33rd Test match.
- Rohit Sharma: 44th match
- Virat Kohli: 30th match (debut due to injury), 33rd match (full-time)
- MS Dhoni: 29th match (debut due to injury), 33rd match (full-time)
Performance Before Becoming Captain
Shubman Gill averages 35.1 in his Test career. Rohit Sharma had a higher average at the time of his captaincy debut, partly due to playing more matches.
- Rohit Sharma: 39.5 (before captaincy debut), 44.4 (before full-time captaincy)
- Virat Kohli: 33.8 (before captaincy debut), 35.9 (before full-time captaincy)
Performance as Captain
This is crucial. Sachin Tendulkar’s batting average dropped during his captaincy, which was one reason he quit. Virat Kohli, however, improved his batting after becoming captain. Rohit Sharma’s numbers declined during his captaincy.
| Player | Average as Captain | Average as Non-Captain |
|---|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | 54.8 | 37.4 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 51.4 | 54.2 |
| Rahul Dravid | 44.5 | 54.1 |
| Sourav Ganguly | 37.7 | 45.2 |
| MS Dhoni | 40.6 | 33.1 |
| Rohit Sharma | 30.6 | 46.9 |
| Shubman Gill | ??? | 35.1 |
Exciting times lie ahead for Indian cricket and Shubman Gill.
India Tour of England, 2025
The selectors have announced an 18-member squad with a new captain. 25-year-old Shubman Gill is the captain, with 27-year-old Rishabh Pant as his deputy.
India’s Squad:
- Batters: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (VC & WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel (WK)
- Pace Bowling All-rounders: Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shardul Thakur
- Spin Bowling All-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar
- Specialist Spinner: Kuldeep Yadav
- Pacers: Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh
Series Schedule:
- First Test: Leeds, June 20 – 24
- Second Test: Birmingham, July 2 – 6
- Third Test: Lord’s (London), July 10 – 14
- Fourth Test: Manchester, July 23 – 27
- Fifth Test: The Oval (London), July 31 – August 4
