‘New era of Indian cricket begins’ – Social media reacts to Shubman Gill’s appointment as new Test captain

Ace batter Shubman Gill succeeded Rohit Sharma in becoming the new India Test captain, an official BCCI statement confirmed on Saturday (May 24). Following Rohit’s shock Test retirement early this month, the selectors picked Gill as his successor, overlooking other options like premier quick Jasprit Bumrah and seasoned batter KL Rahul. Meanwhile, another Test regular, keeper Rishabh Pant, is named Gill’s deputy, with both leading India’s 18-man squad for the forthcoming England tour.

Gill’s appointment as the Test skipper comes on the back of his magnificent run as the Gujarat Titans’ captain in the IPL. After failing to lead the side home in his debut season as captain last year, Gill’s GT has reached the IPL 2025 playoffs; they are currently leading the points table with 18 points in 13 contested matches. Although they are sure of playing the knockouts, finishing inside the top two remains their prime target.

Alongside naming Gill as the new Test captain, the men’s selection committee picked the 18-man squad for the challenging England tour, starting with the first Test in Leeds on June 20.

While Virat Kohli and Rohit are absent, owing to their Test retirements recently, the selectors have picked a blend of experience and youth in the squad, recalling several players, including batter Karun Nair and all-rounder Shardul Thakur. The selectors have also rewarded Gill’s opening partner at GT, Sai Sudharsan, with his debut India call-up for England Tests.

Besides Sai, who would likely play inside the top three should he get picked, the Ajit Agarkar-led committee also brought in seamer Arshdeep Singh, who adds value to the already-stacked pace attack led by Bumrah.

Here is India’s 18-man Test squad for the England series –

Shubman Gill (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (vice-captain, wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur and Arshdeep Singh

Meanwhile, Gill’s appointment sent social media into a frenzy, with fans and experts hailing this move, with several calling this ‘a new era of Indian cricket.’

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