Indian cricket will be heading into a massive transitional phase after a young Shubman Gill was named the captain for the challenging five-match Test tour of England in June while the flamboyant Rishabh Pant was announced as his deputy, after the senior selection committee meeting on Saturday.
The left-handed Gill will be India's fifth youngest Test skipper behind the likes of Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi (21), Sachin Tendulkar (23), Kapil Dev (24) and Ravi Shastri (25).
An 18-member squad was announced by Ajit Agarkar, chairman of the selection committee, which largely comprised a youthful group of batters and bowlers and all-rounders.
"Last year or so we have looked at Shubman (for leadership). We are hopeful he is the guy who is going (to take the team forward). It is a high pressure job but he is a terrific player. We wish him all the best," said chief selector Ajit Agarkar after announcing the 18-member squad, which offered no major surprises.
"Pant is one of our best batters in Test cricket over the last four-five years. A wicketkeeper can see the game well and that's why he is Shubman's deputy," he added.
The 23-year-old up and coming batter Sai Sudharsan and left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh earned their maiden Test-call ups signalling the selection committee's intent to groom a team for the future in the longest format of the sport.
"Sai has not been picked based on IPL, he has shown the right temperament and has the game to succeed at the top level...we have been looking at him for a while," Agarkar added.
A notable inclusion in the squad is Karun Nair, who will be returning to the national fold after a gap of eight years. The Vidarbha batter had last played for India in 2017 and was dropped in some time after becoming only the second triple centurion from India when he struck 303 against England in Chennai.
Mumbaikar Sarfaraz Khan and pacer Harshit Rana, who were part of team for the Australia tour early this year, were dropped.
Veteran pacer Mohammad Shami was another notable exclusion as he was left out owing to lack of desired fitness levels for the gruelling five-match Test series.
"His workload is not where it needs to be. We were hoping he will be available but it is unfortunate. At the moment he is not fully fit," Agarkar said.
Strike bowler Jasprit Bumrah was also being considered for the captaincy role but perhaps was overlooked due to his bowling workload management.
The selectors have put their faith in Gill, who is yet to make a mark in overseas conditions even as a batter and would be interesting to see how he handles the dual challenge in excelling in both roles as a leader and batter.
"It is a massive transition. Both Rohit and Virat were around for a long time," Agarkar added.
