Hey everyone,
This is a random post but I just wanted to talk about the Indian Cricket Team’s selected squad for the tour of England.
By the way, this website is now complete and on a link! Let me know if you like it.
Captaincy Decisions
Let's start with the first player on the roster.
The captain of India is often the biggest player on the team. Kohli, Rohit, Gavaskar, Ganguly, Dhoni are all names that we know and love who were all huge captains.
That being said, I am happy for Shubman Gill being named captain and it’s not undeserved given his recent form and grooming. But let’s be honest:
KL Rahul deserved the captaincy.
He has been vice-captain for years, has captained in SENA conditions, and brings experience.
The real reason he probably lost out is his flexibility given he’s pushed around the batting order from 1 to 7 and is inconsistent in that role. At one point, he was not being considered in the team while Gill played at 1.
But honestly, I don’t mind that.
But why is Rishabh Pant vice-captain?
Pant is an excellent player, but his leadership record is underwhelming:
- Poor returns as T20I captain
- Mediocre stint with Delhi in the IPL
- Questionable decision-making under pressure
Here’s a brutal stat from IPL 2025:
Pant has scored 151 runs (with 63 in one match)
Average: 13.73
Strike Rate: 107.09
Cost per run (USD): $2,032,778.15
And LSG are 6th, mostly surviving due to Pooran and Mitch Marsh. If you’re rewarding leadership, KL Rahul makes far more sense as VC.
Now given that Rahul has flourished as a pure batter, this decision does fall in line. But I would rather have had no vice-captain or even Bumrah who will play 3–4 matches out of 5 than Pant.
Batting Breakdown
Core
- Yashasvi Jaiswal — a lock after a sensational 18 months.
- Shubman Gill — captain and future of Indian batting.
- KL Rahul — still India’s most complete batter across formats.
- Sai Sudharsan — richly deserved call-up. Look at his numbers!
- Karun Nair — great redemption story and deserved call.
Backups
- Abhimanyu Easwaran — has waited forever. But if you’re not going to play him now, then why not give that slot to Sarfaraz Khan? Or Shreyas Iyer?
- Dhruv Jurel — right now, India’s best backup Test keeper.
All-Rounders & Bowling Unit
Seam-Bowling All-Rounders
- Nitish Kumar Reddy should be India’s long-term #6. Huge potential.
- Shardul Thakur — always a handy option in England.
- Washington Sundar — fits the format; can be valuable.
But the omission of Axar Patel still feels odd. He just won you a CT. He’s great overseas. Look at his record with DC as captain, make him VC!
Spin Attack
- Kuldeep Yadav — finally getting the consistent backing he deserves.
- Jadeja — still world-class, but it’s time India starts playing Kotian for post-Jadeja succession. With the retirements of Kohli and Rohit, he should really step down.
Fast Bowlers
- Bumrah — elite when fit. The 🐐. But he can’t play many so it makes sense why others are there.
- Siraj and Arshdeep — Both really SHOULD play. SENA demands less spin and Thakur would be a better #4 bowling option
- Prasidh Krishna and Akash Deep will likely split matches when Bumrah is off.
- Shami — Good decision to not pick him. Not in form, will not succeed.
Selection Dilemmas
Do you play Arshdeep as the 3rd seamer, or back Reddy/Thakur?
Does Jadeja's continued presence slow down development of younger spinners?
And the big one: Shreyas Iyer not even in the India A setup. He is literally scoring runs for fun right now. He’s a future India captain. Iyer has flaws given his “weakness” against pace and injury history but realistically he’s still better than several selected. If you’re backing Nair, why not Iyer?
Bigger Picture
India has been:
- Runners-up in two WTC finals
- Third in one
This cycle must end with the mace. A young, aggressive squad could finally get it done.
My Playing XII
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- KL Rahul
- Shubman Gill (C)
- Sai Sudharsan
- Karun Nair
- Rishabh Pant (WK)
- Nitish Kumar Reddy
- Washington Sundar
- Shardul Thakur
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Kuldeep Yadav
- (Rotate Siraj / Arshdeep)
I can’t decide my XII and that’s why I’m not a selector.
The new era of Indian Cricket is here with the clashing heads of Gill/Gambhir and Pant. It will be interesting to see if it can flourish on the biggest stage.