India tour of England: Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir speaks on Shreyas Iyer omission, says 'anyone can be called if ... '
Shreyas Iyer of India (Photo by)
NEW DELHI: India's red-ball setup has officially entered a new era. Shubman Gill will lead the team in the upcoming five-Test series in England, with Rishabh Pant named as vice-captain.
The squad selection signals a strong shift towards youth and performance-based picks. Karun Nair's return after eight years stands out, rewarding domestic resilience after being dropped despite a historic triple century in 2017.
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Addressing the tough decisions, India head coach Gautam Gambhir, when asked about Shreyas Iyer's omission from the India squad, emphasized meritocracy.
'Anyone can be called if they are in good form. We can only pick 18. But I believe it's always about being open to people who are in good form and can deliver,' Gambhir said at Thursday's press conference.
Following the revelation of the squad for the England Tests, the most discussed omission has been Shreyas Iyer, especially after his stellar IPL season where he led Punjab Kings to the final.
Virat Kohli's love for 'dhaba' food, priority for family & more | RCB bus driver shares stories
India Squad:
Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (VC & WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav
England Squad:
Ben Stokes (C), Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes
Test Series Schedule:
1st Test: England v India, 20-24 June 2025, Headingley, Leeds
2nd Test: England v India, 2-6 July 2025, Edgbaston, Birmingham
3rd Test: England v India, 10-14 July 2025, Lord's, London
4th Test: England v India, 23-27 July 2025, Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester
5th Test: England v India, 31 July-4 August 2025, Kia Oval, London
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