India's Test squad with new captain Shubman Gill called 'strange overall' by Manjrekar: ‘When it comes to return on…'
In what is the beginning of a new chapter for the Indian cricket team, the BCCI named Shubman Gill as the new Test captain, ahead of the five-match Test series in England, startingo n June 20. The move sees a new generation take over the mantle from Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who recently announced their Test retirements. Rohit was the previous India Test skipper. Meanwhile, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has been appoinetd as the vice-captain. Uncapped GT opener Sai Sudharsan was also included in the squad, and even Karun Nair made a comeback after seven years.
Meanwhile, Ajit Agarkar and Co. decided to snub veteran pacer Mohammed Shami, blaming his fitness issues, and included left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh. The selection committee ignored Sarfaraz Khan and the biggest shock was Shreyas Iyer's exclusion. Taking to X, former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar questioned the team selection made by Ajit Agarkar's committee, and called it 'strange overall'.
'Strange team selection overall. But India go to England with nothing to lose. It's a team in transition so we can only wish it the very best & yes, be patient when it comes to returns on investment', he wrote.
Regarding Iyer's absence, Agarkar explosively remarked that there is currently no place for the PBKS skipper in the Test squad.
The first Test in England will begin on June 20 in Leeds, followed by the second fixtre starting on July 2 at Edgbaston. Meanwhile, the third fixture is scheduled to begin on July 10 at Lord's and the fourth at Old Trafford from July 23 onwards. The fifth and final Test will take place at The Oval from July 1-August 4.
The spin department will also have a new look, especially with the retirement of R Ashwin. Ravindra Jadeja is the only veteran in the three-man spin quartet picked by the selection committee, which includes Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav. Sundar's inclusion also adds more batting depth to the side.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
31 minutes ago
- India.com
Bad news for Kohli as RCB may be banned from IPL 2026 due to...
In this collection of pictures we shall know the reason why Royal Challengers Bengaluru could be banned from IPL 2025. Let's dive in. After winning the IPL 2025 title, preparations were made for a victory parade and grand celebration for Royal Challengers Bengaluru outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Meanwhile, a stampede broke out outside the stadium. In which 11 people lost their lives. After this, an FIR has been registered against RCB. Two officials of the Karnataka Cricket Association have also resigned. One arrest has also been made in this case. The RCB team is stuck in the middle of all this. After this case, the BCCI can take a big decision regarding RCB's participation in IPL 2026. An investigation is being conducted to find out who is responsible for such a big mistake in RCB's victory parade. In such a situation, there is a big question in front of BCCI that if RCB team's name comes up in this mistake, then what decision will it take next. Let us tell you that all the franchises in IPL work as commercial entities, but their participation is controlled by BCCI contracts and those contracts include many sections related to public safety. If the investigators directly link the RCB management to this serious negligence, then the BCCI may have to take major action against RCB to deliver justice and maintain the credibility of the league. On Tuesday, RCB defeated Punjab Kings and won their first title. After which the whole team and Bengaluru fans were very happy. The next day on Wednesday, the team reached Bengaluru, where they were going to celebrate the victory with their fans. But this festive atmosphere turned into mourning in no time. Due to the gathering of lakhs of people, there was a sudden stampede, in which 11 people lost their lives and many were injured.
Time of India
44 minutes ago
- Time of India
India tour of England: Former England cricketer hails Sai Sudharsan's technique, calls him 'special talent'
Sai Sudarshan (ANI Photo) Former England cricketer Alec Stewart has praised young Indian batter Sai Sudharsan's potential for Test cricket, highlighting his quick learning ability and diverse shot selection as key attributes that could help him succeed in the longer format following Virat Kohli's retirement. Sudharsan, who has already represented India in ODIs and T20Is, is eyeing his Test debut during India's upcoming five-Test tour of England starting June 20, which marks the beginning of India's World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle under new captain Shubman Gill. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Sudharsan's first-class cricket record shows 1,957 runs in 29 games at an average of 39.93, including seven centuries and five fifties. His highest score stands at 213. His recent performance in the Indian Premier League strengthened his credentials, where he claimed the Orange Cap and Emerging Player of the Season award with 759 runs in 15 matches at an average of 54.21. Gautam Gambhir sends stern message after Bengaluru tragedy Surrey's association with Sudharsan began in 2023 when he had played fewer than 10 first-class games and was yet to make his international debut. Before his Surrey debut against Northamptonshire, he played for the team's second XI at Guildford to familiarize himself with English conditions and the Dukes ball. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Device Made My Power Bill Drop Overnight elecTrick - Save upto 80% on Power Bill Pre-Order Undo "Sai came as an unknown, and his experience of the English game was very limited. Vikram Solanki was massive in recommending him to me, and I have so much respect for Vikram. From his first training session, you could see that he was a special talent, and he has not looked back. He loves to bat - whether in the nets or the middle - and just fitted into our set-up perfectly," Stewart said. Stewart specifically noted Sudharsan's technique in handling English conditions. "If you go too hard and get too far out in front of yourself, when the ball seams, you are not in control, then your bat can get outside of your eyeline, whereas he plays it under his eyeline, plays it under his eyes, and plays it late. And even if he does nick it a little bit, like Kane Williamson, for example - you can nick it, but it still falls short of slip and that again is a real attribute of Sai's. " Quiz: Who's that IPL player? Regarding Sudharsan's ability to play on English pitches, Stewart added: "The pitches are quicker here, certainly at The Oval, and to succeed, you have to be able to play off the back foot. You have got to be selective to pull, hook, cut or let go. He gets out of the line of the short ball well but can also play the uppercut over the slips. He has got a full array of shots, and he gets them in the right order." Sudharsan's dedication to improvement was evident when he took some Dukes balls back home after his county stint. Stewart commented on this, saying: "I did not charge him for them and just let him have them. But, no... he had that forward-thinking mindset and trained with those balls, so that when he comes back to us, or hopefully is picked for India on tour, he will have had nice practice against the Dukes cricket ball as well. Some of those will probably be worn out by now because I gave them to him last year, but he is a quick learner and he practises with a purpose. Yes, he likes volume, but he also likes to improve." Major League Cricket: Liam Plunkett on how cricket can boom in the USA Stewart advised Sudharsan against trying to be the next Virat Kohli, suggesting instead that he focus on being the "best version of Sai Sudharsan." The five-Test series in England will run from June to August 2025, with matches scheduled across Leeds, Birmingham, London, and Manchester. India's Test squad for the England series includes Shubman Gill as captain, Rishabh Pant as vice-captain, and players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja , Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, and Kuldeep Yadav.
India.com
an hour ago
- India.com
Virat Kohli to Shreyas Iyer: Top 5 Indian batters to score most runs in IPL 2025
The dominance of batsmen was once again seen in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. There was a pile of runs in almost all the matches and many records were broken. Batsmen dominated more than bowlers. In the battle of ball and bat, we can say that the bat won, because according to the batting pitches and new rules, the batsmen scored a lot of runs with fours and sixes. Like the last season, Indian batsmen also spread their flair in the 18th IPL season. Along with many star batsmen, uncapped players also impressed everyone with their performance and staked their claim for the national team. Through this story, we are going to tell you about the top-5 highest run-scoring Indian batsmen. 4 Indians were among the top-5 highest run-scorers in IPL 2025, only Australian batsman Mitchell Marsh of Lucknow Super Giants was at the 5th position. Gujarat Titans (GT) opener Sai Sudarshan became the highest run-scorer in IPL 2025. He scored the highest total of 759 runs in 15 matches at an average of 54.21 and a strike rate of 156.17. During this, he scored 6 half-centuries and 1 century. He was awarded the prestigious Orange Cap for scoring the most runs in the entire tournament. Mumbai Indians (MI)'s Suryakumar Yadav scored the second-most runs in the recently concluded IPL season in IPL 2025. Considered a T20 specialist, this dashing batsman finished his season with 717 runs in 16 matches. During this, he scored 5 half-centuries and played an important role in taking MI to the playoffs by winning consecutive matches after a poor start. In IPL 2025, right-handed star batsman Virat Kohli's 17-year-old unfulfilled dream came true. Because his team Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) won their maiden IPL title. Also, this season, Virat Kohli finished third in the list of highest run-scorers. Kohli scored a total of 657 runs in 15 matches at an impressive average of 54.75. Gujarat Titans (GT) captain Shubman Gill not only did brilliant captaincy, but also showed his skill with the bat. Gill played many big partnerships while opening with Sai Sudarshan and won many important matches for his team. Gill was the fourth highest run-scorer in IPL 2025. He scored a total of 650 runs in 15 matches with the help of 6 half-centuries. Right-handed star batsman Shreyas Iyer led Punjab Kings (PBKS) to the final after 14 years under his captaincy. He proved his captaincy throughout the season, although his team lost the final match to RCB by 6 runs. Iyer scored a total of 604 runs in 17 matches in the entire tournament. He became the sixth highest run-scorer in IPL 2025. However, he remained at number 5 in the list of top-5 Indian batsmen who scored the most runs.
