India vs England 2025 Confirmed Best Test Squad and Players List
Rohit Sharma retires in our India vs England 2025 Test series best squad and players list for the Indian team.
In just a month’s time, Team India will be beginning their first International tour post the IPL 2025, and that shall be the World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle with the 5-match Test series against England. This will probably be the toughest tour of the cycle, and India have a solid 5-match Test series to go with. Also, the fact that this will happen just after the Indian Premier League, will add to the excitement.
If we recall the recent Test matches for Team India, we saw India getting blasted 3-1 by Australia in their last Test series. The series saw Ravichandran Ashwin retiring from International cricket, and Rohit Sharma dropping himself after a poor run as an opener. Additionally, we saw India winning the 2025 Champions Trophy under the leadership of Rohit Sharma. But how are things unfolding for the upcoming Test series vs England?
Well, ideally, the Champions Trophy and Indian Premier League shouldn’t influence the Test team selection. But such is the state of the selectors and Indian management that no matter how hard we try, these two tournaments will majorly influence the Test team selection against England. So, which players are in contention for the tour? Well, let’s find out the best squad and players list for Team India for the 2025 Test series vs England.
India vs England 2025 Best Test Squad Detailed
Starting with the batters, one major change that we can expect is the inclusion of Sai Sudharsan as the backup opener. Sai’s solid technique coupled with his blazing form leaves no measure for the Indian team to include him in the Test side. This is also a great move considering Sai’s skills are far superior to be left out of the team. However, he may not be the first-choice option, and Rohit and Jaiswal should continue to open for Team India.
While Sai gets the inclusion, Team India will also be without their primary skipper Rohit Sharma. Rohit had been struggling for form in the longest format of the game, and the Australia series was supposed to be his last. With Rohit Sharma now retired from the longest format of the game, India will continue with Easwaran as the backup opener. Also, Champions Trophy bias shouldn’t be the selection point, and it seems BCCI is sticking to it.
Two batters that may face the axe for the England series are Devdutt Padikkal and Sarfaraz Khan. Team India have shown very little confidence in Sarfaraz Khan’s batting abilities, and despite the opportunities available, Sarfaraz Khan didn’t get the play in Australia. Hence, it seems India will move on from Sarfaraz, and Devdutt Padikkal’s poor returns in the Test format should prompt the Indian team to drop him as well.
Constant Wicket-keepers
The wicket-keeping department shouldn’t see any changes with Rishabh Pant and Dhurv Jurel being the two prime wicket-keepers in the side. Similarly, since Ravichandran Ashwin has already retired from the International format, India will continue with the all-rounder duo of Nitish Reddy and Ravindra Jadeja. India may also continue with the third all-rounder in the form of Washington Sundar.
Finally, talking about the bowling department, we should see India going ahead with 6 pacers and 1 spinner. Among pacers, India will mostly select Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, and Harshit Rana. Whereas for the solo spinner, India will prompted to select Kuldeep Yadav. Having six pacers in the side will give India the cushion to rotate the bowlers, and give them appropriate rest when needed. Meanwhile, Kuldeep’s wrist spin could be handy in England, and thus he could be included as well.
India vs England 2025 Best Test Squad and Players List for Indian Team
Batters: Abhimanyu Easwaran, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli & Yashasvi Jaiswal
Wicket-keepers: Dhruv Jurel & Rishabh Pant (c)
All-rounders: Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja & Washington Sundar
Bowlers: Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj & Prasidh Krishna
So that’s about the best squad and players list for Team India for the 2025 Test series vs England. Overall, expect India to select an 18-member squad since it is a long series, and India would need players on the bench to rotate them as and when needed. It will be definitely a strong squad, but the form of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul will be crucial for India’s success in England.
Finally, the main question is about Captaincy. With Rohit now retired, India have three potential options from a Captaincy perspective. First is definitely the vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah. Ideally, Bumrah should Captain the side. But since Bumrah is injury-prone, and may need rest in a few matches, India may look at Shubman Gill or Rishabh Pant as the Captain of the side. Between the two, BCCI is likely to consider Rishabh Pant as the successor ahead of Gill considering Pant is a confirmed player in the 11, and can be a good aggressive Captain.
India vs England 2025 Official Test Series Schedule
- 1st Test Match, June 20-24 @ Leeds, 3:30 pm IST
- 2nd Test Match, July 02-06 @ Birmingham, 3:30 pm IST
- 3rd Test Match, July 10-14 @ Lord’s, 3:30 pm IST
- 4th Test Match, July 23-27 @ Manchester, 3:30 pm IST
- 5th Test Match, July 31 – August 04 @ The Oval, 3:30 pm IST
Thanks for reading! What’s your best squad for Team India for the 2025 Test series vs England? Please email your comments to business@cricalytics.com
