Reports: India’s new Test captain and squad for England tour likely to be announced on May 24

Gautam Gambhir. (Photo Source: Disney+Hotstar)

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is expected to announce India’s new Test captain and the squad for the upcoming England tour on Saturday, May 24. The announcements are likely to be made around noon after the selection committee meeting, and a press conference is also expected.

India is on the lookout for a new red-ball captain after veteran opener Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket on May 7. There were several names in contention to succeed the batter, including Jasprit Bumrah, Shubman Gill, and Rishabh Pant.

But reports suggest that the right-arm pacer, who recently returned to competitive cricket after a prolonged injury layoff and is unlikely to feature in all five Tests due to workload management. As a result, he is believed to have opted out of the captaincy race.

Meanwhile, the BCCI reportedly held informal discussions with both Gill and Pant regarding the captaincy role. One of the selectors reportedly raised concerns over Gill’s experience to take on the leadership role, because he has yet to seal his place in the Test. The 25-year-old could still be handed the vice-captaincy duties.

The England tour will begin the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. Indian stalwarts like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravichandran Ashwin have been retired from Test cricket and so several key spots in the playing XI are now open.

The India A team will also tour England while facing off against the England Lions in the fixtures that are scheduled at Canterbury and Northampton. The final fixture will be against the senior Indian Test team for the India A squad. Several players such as Ishan Kishan, Sai Sudharsan, Karun Nair are expected to be in the options and will aim to seal a spot in the Test squad.

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