ENG vs IND 2025: 3 players who deserved a spot in India’s Test squad

Published - 24 May 2025, 19:09 IST | Updated - 24 May 2025, 19:17 IST

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced an 18-member squad for the upcoming Test series against England. The 25-year-old Shubman Gill has been named the new Test captain following the retirement of veteran opener Rohit Sharma. The selected squad is one of the youngest and most inexperienced Indian teams ever to tour England.

But the announcement of the squad left few notable performers high and dry despite their impressive outings in the red-ball format. The exclusions raised questions considering the tough conditions awaiting in England.

The middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan certainly deserved a place in the Indian squad for the five-match Test series against England. The right-handed batter has featured in six Tests so far, scoring 371 runs at an average of 37.10 which includes one century and three half-centuries.

He was a part of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25 squad although he did feature in any of the five Tests. His exclusion raised eyebrows as he has an exceptional record in First-Class cricket, where he averages 65.61. India could miss his proven ability to play the long game under pressure in the middle-order.