Under Shubman Gill’s leadership, an inexperienced Indian team will be given a tough test in England, which is renowned for its tough conditions and strong home record. Seasoned batsman Cheteshwar Pujara will not feature with Shubman Gill’s Indian squad for the forthcoming five-Test series against England, which will begin on June 20.
As in the past, the 37-year-old was again left out by the selectors, who opted for the likes of Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair to fill in for the departed Virat Kohli, who retired from the game this month.
Pujara, who last played for India in the World Test Championship (WTC) final in 2023, was recently asked if he had got a call from Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir for the upcoming Tests against England.
“I’m ready. I don’t know if they’ll pick me or not. But if I get an opportunity, yes, it’ll be an honour to play for the country once again. As a cricketer, you always feel that as long as you’re fit, as long as you’re contributing, and if I perform well in domestic cricket, and I’m preparing well too, if I get an opportunity, yes, I’ll be more than glad to be a part of the team,” he further added.
June not only represents the start of India’s fresh ICC World Test Championship cycle (2025-27) but also the start of a new era for Indian cricket. A young Indian team will get a tough test in England under Gill’s captaincy, which is famous for its challenging conditions and strong home record.
Gill’s captaincy will be closely observed as he tries to lead a young team in the absence of several of India’s most veteran Test campaigners. India team for England tour: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc, wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudarshan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.
