India Squad for England Test Series 2025 (Likely/Possible) – Everyone is busy watching the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, but after that, Team India will have an important assignment in England. The Indian Cricket Team will play a five-match test series against England in England, starting from June 20 in Headingley. It will be the first assignment for Team India in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle. As per reports, there is a high chance that India’s squad for the England test series 2025 will be announced in the last week of May 2025. The selectors are mulling towards giving the best squad, in which Rohit Sharma might also be seen as the captain.
Today, we will talk about the possible India squad for England test series 2025, will we see a new test captain, and what are the challenges Team India will face in England tests, and more. So without wasting any time, let’s begin.
India Squad for England Test Series 2025
When will the India Squad for England test be announced?
Team India is set to travel to England for a five-match test series. The series will commence from June 20 in Headingley, Leeds. There is a possibility that the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) will announce the India squad for England test series 2025 in the 2nd week of May.
A Shadow Tour for India A
Almost whenever Team India travels for a big test series tour, there is a shadow tour for India A against the opposition country’s A-side. This time also, before IND vs ENG, there will be a three-match four-day match series between India A and England Lions.
The date and time have not been finalised, but it is expected to be between the end of IPL 2025 and before the start of IND vs ENG 1st Test 2025.
Some Test Regulars Might Feature in A-side
We might see some of the test regulars to have a game time in the India A team before the IND vs ENG tests 2025. They might feature in one or two games, as per the situation. The Indian Cricket Team players haven’t played any multiple-day cricket since the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
The Selectors Narrowed Down the List to 35 Players for Both Series’
As per the reports from The Times of India (TOI), the Indian Cricket Team selectors, led by Ajit Agarkar has listed down 35 players for both, IND vs ENG tests and IND A vs ENG Lions four-day games. From the list, the selectors will make the squads for both the series.
Rohit Sharma to Captain Team India in ENG Tests
Rohit Sharma has been included in the list of 35 players for the IND vs ENG 2025 tests. Now, it is highly likely that we might see him leading Team India in a five-match test series 2025. After his poor show with the bat in home tests against Bangladesh (BAN) and New Zealand (NZ), and in the BGT 2024-25, there were reports that the selectors might not consider him in tests. But, there is a temptation that the team needs a solid captain.
Will we see a new captain in test cricket for India?
With Virat Kohli already relinquished the test captaincy, and a few youngsters are not experienced enough to lead the side (especially on a big tour like England), the selectors might go with Rohit Sharma in the IND vs ENG test series 2025.
If Rohit Sharma didn’t performed well in the first few games and the team does not do well, then the selectors might be tempted to go with Jasprit Bumrah or Shubman Gill for the captaincy role.
Also, we might see the last of Rohit Sharma in test cricket in the IND vs ENG tests 2025. With age not in his side along with the poor performances, Rohit should enjoy whatever little time he has to offer in the longest format of the game.
ALSO READ: Who will be the next test captain of India in tests?
No Iyer and Sarfaraz in Contention
As per TOI reports, the selectors are not looking at Shreyas Iyer and Sarfaraz Khan in test cricket. Shreyas Iyer has been doing well in ODIs and in IPL, but that’s a different format altogether. As far as Sarfaraz Khan is concerned, the selectors do not have the confidence in his ability. He has done well in a few home tests against England, and against New Zealand, but considering his technique, he was not included in BGT 2024-25 playing XI in any of the five tests.
Karun Nair in India Squad for England Test Series 2025
Karun Nair has been an outstanding performer in domestic cricket, whether it’s a List-A game or a First-Class (FC) game. He has also played a brilliant inning OF 89 runs in IPL 2025 against Mumbai Indians (MI). We will definitely see him in the India A vs England Lions games (unless there is an injury or a personal reason to leave). He will also be in contention for the IND vs ENG 2025 test series, considering his form.
Obvious Choices in the Squad
There are a few obvious choices in the India squad for England test series 2025. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, Virat Kohli, Mohammad Shami, Mohammad Siraj, Ravindra Jadeja, etc will pick themselves in the team. Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul will also be an obvious choice, and Dhruv Jurel could be the another wicketkeeping option in the squad.
Nitish Kumar Reddy has done well in Australia tests and will play a crucial role as a medium pace bowling all-rounder in overseas tests.
Kuldeep to Play as a Wicket-taking Spinner Option
With R Ashwin retiring, Kuldeep Yadav could replace him in the squad, and also in the playing XI as a genuine wicket-taking option. Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar will also be there, but they are more of a bowler who can contain. Kuldeep might not need the conditions to go for the wickets.
It will all depends on how the pitches will be in England, and the team combination. If India wants an extra batter, Sundar Jadeja could be a better option. Axar Patel might miss out on the plane for England as two left-arm spinners are not needed in overseas.
Sai Sudharsan as a Third Opener
Sai Sudharsan has done well in domestic cricket. He is doing well in IPL 2025. The left-hander has solid technique and temperament to be able to be seen as a reserve opener. As per the media reports, we might see Sai in the India squad for England test as a third opener.
Yash Dayal to go as a Travelling Reserve
Yash Dayal has been a part of the Indian team setup for a while now. He has done well in the last two IPL seasons and had a decent outings in domestic cricket. The left-arm pacer has also been included in India’s squad across formats, but did not get a chance to play.
England is a place where you need as many fast-bowling options as you can. Yash also brings variety to the bowling attack with the left-arm option. Also, it’s a big series and the Indian cricket team will go with some reserve bowlers. If they picked a big squad of let’s say 18-20 players, we might also see Yash Dayal in the main squad rather than the travelling reserves.
India’s Possible Squad for England Tests 2025:- Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana.
Other Players in Contention – Yash Dayal, Karun Nair, Akash Deep.
DISCLAIMER: This is not a final squad. We have picked the squad as per our understanding of the game and what’s happening in Indian cricket. The team might go with some extra players, or a different names. But more or less, these are the players who might feature in the IND vs ENG test 2025.
ALSO READ: BCCI Announced Annual Contract for Senior Men’s Team 2024-25
What are the Challengers Team India will face in England Tests?
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Batters not in Good Touch in Tests:
We have seen the Indian batters struggles in the 2024 home season and in BGT 2024-25 in test cricket. England series will come up with even more difficlut challenges in a swing and seam friendly conditions.
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Swing – Always a Struggle for Indian Batters
The situation Indian ‘test’ team is in right now, a swing will be the biggest challenge for them. A fast-bowling friendly conditions in overseas tests has always been the biggest threat for the Indian batters.
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No Competitive Days Games in a while
The Indian team players is busy in the IPL. Before that, they played the ICC Champions Trophy and a white-ball series against England. They last played a red-ball cricket in BGT 2024-25 only.
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Fast Bowlers Coming in from Injury
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami, both are the pillars of Indian bowling line-up, especially in test cricket. Both bowlers are coming in from an injury. The team managenment has to keep an eye on their workload management and on their fitness for the longest format.
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Inconsistency from Siraj
Mohammad Siraj has not done well in the absence of Bumrah and Shami. He has done well only in patches and has been inconsistent with his performances.
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Lack of Wicket-taking Spinners in the Squad
As we said earlier, Ashwin has retired who has been a wicket-taker for India in tests. Jadeja and Sundar does not have as many variations as Ashwin and Kuldeep has not played much test cricket for a while. Sometimes, you need a spinner even in overseas tests to change the pace of the game or when the conditions are condusive for the spinners, especially after the 3rd or 4th day of a test match.
So this is it for today. What do you think? What will be the results of India vs England 2025 5-match test series? Comment your predictions below. Thank you for reading. Keep following us for the latest updates.
FAQs:-
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What is the selection panel for Team India’s Men’s?
As of now (May 04, 2025), Ajit Agarkar is the Chairmen of committee. Alongside him, the other members are Shiv Sundar Das, Subroto Banerjee, Ajay Ratra, and Sridharan Sharath.
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What is the head-to-head between India and England in tests?
As of May 2025, India and England have played 136 test matches against each other. England have an edge over India with 51 wins in tests. India has managed to win 35 tests and 50 tests have ended in a draw.
