The BCCI is all set to announce India's Test side for the upcoming Test series against England on May 24. The announcement as per reports, will be done via a press conference.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their Test retirements just ahead of the England series. This leaves BCCI to fill the big shoes of the two veterans.
The board is also looking for a worthy candidate to be named as the next Indian captain and Shubman Gill is leading that race. The other candidate in contention is Rishabh Pant, but if reports are to be believed, it is Gill who is expected to be named the next India Test captain.
Also Read: Watch Shubman Gill accused of ignoring Rishabh Pant; Sparks fresh rumours of rift
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Meanwhile, the Test series against England will kick off India's WTC 2025-27 campaign. The BCCI has already named the India A squad that will be playing two first-class games against England Lions at Canterbury and Northampton. The side will then play an intra-squad game against the senior men's Test team.
The games are an opportunity for the players included in the side to impress the selectors and get into the senior team for the five-match Test series against England. Meanwhile, in this article, we take a look at three players who might not make it to the India Test Squad against England.
Also Read: "Definitely Happy for the Opportunity" – Sai Sudharsan Gears Up for India 'A' Tour
3 Players Who Might Not Be Selected For England Test Series
Harshit Rana
Rana made his Test debut against Australia in the Perth Test last year. He has played two Test matches and picked up four wickets so far. He is still a very raw and inexperienced pacer who needs to develop his game to play Test cricket at the highest level. With India likely to include names like Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd Siraj and Shardul Thakur as pacers, Rana might lose out of favour. The selectors might also include Prasidh Krishna who has impressed one and all with his bowling in the ongoing IPL season.
Ruturaj Gaikwad
With BCCI searching for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's replacements, they might not consider Ruturaj Gaikwad as one of the options. They have better options in Sai Sudharshan and Karun Nair who have proved themselves in domestic cricket. Sudhshan and Nair are both touted to included in the Indian Test squad for the England series and hence the BCCI might have already identified replacements for Rohit and Kohli.
Tanush Kotian
Maharashtra cricketer Tanush Kotian with his all-round abilities is seen as a possible replacement for Ravichandran Ashwin after he retired from Test cricket midway in the series against Australia. The 26-year-old has decent numbers in domestic cricket but with India having the likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav as spin options for the England tour, Kotian might not be included in the side. He has 112 wickets from 37 FC matches, 22 List A wickets and 33 T20 wickets.
