Before leaving for the difficult tour of England, the Indian team's Test captain Rohit Sharma and star batsman Virat Kohli announced their retirement from Tests. The selectors chose Shubman Gill as the captain for this tour. Before leaving for England, coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill spoke to the media. Gill has said that it will be difficult for the Indian team to fill the big voids left by the departure of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. The team has the strength and is confident of doing well in the upcoming five-match Test series.

Rohit and Kohli announced their retirement from Test cricket last month, posing a big challenge for the young Indian team. With experienced players like KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and Jasprit Bumrah, the team is not lacking in experience but the presence of Rohit and Kohli will be missed. Gill said in the press conference, "Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are experienced players and have won us many matches. It is always difficult to fill their place, but the team combination is a good mix of talent and experience,"

Indian team head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill

Gill added, "It is not a matter of extra pressure because we as a team are always ready to handle pressure and know how to win from such situations,"

The Indian star batsman is expected to bat at number 3 for India. Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul will open the innings but all eyes will be on Gill as his batting figures overseas are not good. There was a lot of debate on handing over the captaincy to Gill. Especially considering his performance abroad Bumrah told the selectors that he would not be available for all five matches so the management had to focus on Gill who is expected to play the entire series.

Gill's captaincy was further strengthened when he led Gujarat Titans to the IPL 2025 playoffs. India will play the first Test against England in Leeds on June 20. Most of the team led by Gill will leave on Thursday, while some others have already left. The second India A vs England Lions match will start on Friday in which Rahul is expected to play. India A and the senior team will also play an intra-squad game before the series begins.

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