India squad for England Test series to be selected on May 24; Gill set to be named captain
The national selection committee, headed by Ajit Agarkar, will meet at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) headquarters on Saturday to pick India's Test squad for the England tour.
With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli both announcing their retirements from the format, the selectors are set to appoint Shubman Gill as the new captain, while chances are high that Rishabh Pant could be named as his deputy for the five-match Test series, to be played from June to August.
The national selection committee has decided to move forward with a new leader for the side, and with Jasprit Bumrah unlikely to be available for all five Tests, the selectors want to groom a young captain like Gill and give him a longer rope, under the guidance of head coach Gautam Gambhir.
ALSO READ | IND vs ENG: Stokes says India can't be taken lightly even without Rohit, Kohli
The 25-year-old Gill is among the few players who feature in all three formats of the game and has been leading the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League for the last couple of seasons, and his teammates rate him highly as a leader who is calm and composed even in crunch situations.
Gill has played as an opener and also at No. 3 in Test cricket for India, and in the 32 Tests that he has featured in, he has scored 1893 runs, with five centuries and seven fifties.
Sources indicated that with a new World Test Championship cycle nearing, the selectors are keen on trying out Gill for the big role as the idea is to build a young team around him.
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