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Key Points

India's cricket team has arrived in England for a pivotal five-match Test series under new captain Shubman Gill. The squad represents a significant generational shift following the retirement of Test veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Rishabh Pant, vice-captain, brought humor to the team's arrival with a nostalgic reference to Rohit's previous fielding instructions. The series marks a critical opportunity for India to break their long-standing drought of Test series victories in England.

Key Points: Gill's Team India Lands in UK for Historic Test Series

  • Shubman Gill takes over captaincy in post-Kohli and Rohit era
  • India seeks first Test series win in England since 2007
  • Young squad prepares for challenging five-match series
  • Team undergoes significant generational transition
3 min read

Garden ki toh yaad aayegi: Pant as Team India reaches England for Test series

Shubman Gill leads new-look Indian cricket team to England, marking a significant transition after Rohit and Virat's Test retirement

"Garden ki toh yaad aayegi - Rishabh Pant, referencing Rohit Sharma's previous fielding instructions"

London, June 7

The new-look Indian team, captained by newly-appointed red-ball skipper Shubman Gill reached England on Saturday ahead of their five-match Test series.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) posted a video of players reaching to England, including skipper Gill, vice-captain Rishabh Pant, opener Sai Sudharsan, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, and Mohammed Siraj, among others.

Signaling what players feel about their transition following Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's retirements from the format, Pant was seen hilariously saying, "Garden ki toh yaad aayegi". This referred to Rohit's hilarious comments while fielding, instructing his boys that "garden mein koi nahi ghoomega" during the home Test series against same opposition last year.

"Touchdown UK #TeamIndia have arrived for the five-match Test series against England #ENGvIND," posted BCCI.

https://x.com/BCCI/status/1931198777093943296

The series will be held from June to August 2025, with matches scheduled at Headingley in Leeds, Edgbaston in Birmingham, Lord's and The Oval in London, and Old Trafford in Manchester.

This will be India's first bilateral Test series since both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their retirement from Test cricket earlier this month. The team is undergoing a transition, with Shubman Gill taking over as captain and R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli stepping away from the longest format.

India has not won a Test series in England since 2007. To prepare, several Indian players had already arrived earlier to represent India A in warm-up matches against the England Lions. The rest of the touring party is scheduled to arrive in the UK on Friday.

Meanwhile, ahead of the Test series, India 'A' are currently playing a three-match unofficial Test series against the England Lions. The first match ended in a draw, while the second unofficial Test is set to begin on Friday, June 6, at the County Ground in Northampton. On Thursday, England announced their squad for the opening Test at Headingley.

The English side has seen several changes since their 4-1 Test series defeat in India last year. Veteran pacer James Anderson has retired, and players like Jonny Bairstow, Ben Foakes, and Ollie Robinson have been dropped.

India's Test squad for England series: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.

The English squad: Ben Stokes (Durham) - Captain, Shoaib Bashir (Somerset), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Sam Cook (Essex), Zak Crawley (Kent), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Jamie Overton (Surrey), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jamie Smith (Surrey), Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire).

- ANI

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Reader Comments

R
Rajiv K.
Pant's "garden" comment shows how much fun Rohit brought to the team! 😄 New era begins under Gill's captaincy. Hope our young guns can finally break the England jinx after 18 years. Bumrah's bowling will be key on those pitches!
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Priya M.
Excited but nervous about this transition phase. Gill has big shoes to fill after Kohli-Rohit era. England conditions will test our batters - hope Jaiswal and Sudharsan have done their homework against swing bowling. #InGillWeTrust
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Arjun S.
Without Anderson, England's bowling looks weaker. But our batting lineup is inexperienced in English conditions. Selectors should've included Pujara as mentor for young players. Still, Jadeja+Ashwin combo can win us matches!
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Sneha R.
Pant as vice-captain is perfect! His energy and fearless cricket embodies new India. Hope he smashes those sixes at Lord's again 🤩 England series is always special - waking up at 3 AM with chai and cricket is our summer ritual!
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Vikram J.
Concerned about our pace attack beyond Bumrah-Siraj. Prasidh and Arshdeep need to step up. England may be weaker but their batters know home conditions well. Hope Gill doesn't overthink like previous captains at crucial moments.
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Neha T.
That BCCI video gave me goosebumps! New chapter begins 🇮🇳 So proud to see our boys in whites. Win or lose, just want to see fighting spirit. And please BCCI, don't schedule matches during office hours this time! 😅

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