New era begins: Shubman Gill named India's Test captain; Pant appointed VC

Marking the start of a new era in Indian Test cricket, the BCCI's senior selection committee on Saturday unveiled Shubman Gill as the new captain while announcing the 18-member squad for the upcoming five-Test series in England, slated to begin on June 20.

- TRIDIB BAPARNASH

Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has been named his deputy, ahead of premier quick Jasprit Bumrah, who was India's vice-captain at the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and led in the two Tests former skipper Rohit Sharma had missed.

The Statesman had on Friday reported that the 25-year-old was the front-runner to the top job that emerged after the recent retirement of Rohit Sharma from the longest format. Announcing the squad, selection committee chief Ajit Agarkar said the decision to appoint Gill was after discussing every option at their disposal.

"You discuss every option that's there. Over the last year, we've looked at Shubman. We've taken feedback from the dressing room as well. And we're hopeful we've picked the right guy," Agarkar said in a press conference at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai shortly after the selection meeting on Saturday when asked about the decision to choose Gill.

Exuding confidence on their selection of skipper, Agarkar emphasised that the elegant Punjab right-hander was appointed with a long-term vision in mind.

"You don't pick captains for one or two tours," Agarkar said when asked about the future, especially keeping in mind the upcoming WTC cycle. "We've seen some progress [in Gill] over the last year or two. It is going to be as tough as it gets for five Tests in England; maybe he'll have to learn on the job. But we're very confident."