The Indian team is about to step into another massive challenge- Five Away Tests in England starting June 20, 2025.
With IPL 2025 nearing its end and two teams already knocked out of the playoff race, selectors now have a clearer picture of player form and fitness.
The tour will also mark the beginning of a brand-new cycle of the World Test Championship (2025–27) and there's curiosity around who will make the flight to England.
All eyes are on the selectors, who are expected to announce the squad in early May. Let’s look at how India’s squad is shaping up, who is certain to feature and who might just miss out.
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Will Rohit Sharma continue as captain in Tests?
Despite a rough patch in red-ball cricket recently, reports had earlier suggested Rohit Sharma will retain his role as Test captain.
Rohit could only manage to score 164 runs in his last 15 innings. In the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, he failed badly and could score only 31 runs.
On May 7, Sharma formally announced his retirement from Test cricket.
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Has Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket?
Star Indian batter Virat Kohli officially announced his retirement on May 12 and will not take part in India's Test tour of England next month.
He confirmed the announcement on his social media accounts.
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While familiar faces are likely to stay, some players may not be so lucky. Sarfaraz Khan and Abhimanyu Easwaran were part of the squad in Australia but never got a chance in the XI.
Given that, and the fact that they haven't done anything extraordinary since, their chances for the England tour are slim.
Devdutt Padikkal is another player who was in the squad as the backup earlier this year, but now has a competition from Sai Sudharsan.
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The left-hander has been IPL 2025’s standout batter and currently holds the Orange Cap with over 500 runs. That has earned him high praise from experts like Ravi Shastri.
Karun Nair, despite scoring over 860 runs in the Ranji season, might still be ignored. Interestingly, Rajat Patidar is also back in discussions after leading RCB and showing solid domestic form.
Are there changes expected in the bowling attack?
The fast-bowling unit looks largely settled. Jasprit Bumrah, who was India's standout bowler in the Border-Gavaskar series, and Mohammed Shami, who has returned after a lengthy injury layoff, are front-runners. Mohammed Siraj is likely to be retained too.
However, there might be a toss-up for the fourth pacer slot. Prasidh Krishna has been IPL’s Purple Cap holder with 19 wickets and looks to have nudged ahead in the pecking order.
Harshit Rana, who impressed with his aggression in BGT, is in contention too.
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What about the spinners and all-round options?
Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel have been consistent names in India’s Test side and are likely to make the cut again.
Washington Sundar is another name that has come into the picture with Ravichandran Ashwin’s retirement. He offers variety and could be a handy weapon in English conditions.
Kuldeep Yadav may not be included in the squad, considering the conditions in England, which are not favourable for spinners. However, as a wrist spinner, he brings a different dimension to the bowling attack,k and he may be picked.
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India’s potential squad for England Test tour 2025
| Certainties | Probables | Contenders | Unlikely |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shubman Gill | Prasidh Krishna | Kuldeep Yadav | Shreyas Iyer |
| KL Rahul | Harshit Rana | Akash Deep | Devdutt Padikkal |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | Dhruv Jurel | Shardul Thakur | Sarfaraz Khan |
| Rishabh Pant | Nitish Reddy | Axar Patel | Abhimanyu Easwaran |
| Jasprit Bumrah | Washington Sundar | Rajat Patidar | |
| Ravindra Jadeja | Sai Sudharsan | ||
| Mohammad Shami | |||
| Mohammed Siraj |