5 major takeaways from Shubman Gill and Gautam Gambhir's pre-departure press conference ahead of ENG vs IND 2025 Tests ft. Jasprit Bumrah

India's new Test captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir held a pre-departure press conference ahead of the upcoming England tour. India are set to tour England for a five-match Test series starting June 20.

The first Test will be played at Headingley, Leeds. Edgbaston will host the second Test from July 2 to 6, Lord's will host the third Test from July 10 to 14, Old Trafford will host the fourth Test from July 23 to 27 while the fifth Test will be played from July 31 to August 4 at The Oval.

Ahead of the series, Shubman Gill was announced as the Test captain with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli having announced their retirement from the format. Shubman Gill and Gautam Gambhir addressed several topics ahead of the Test series in the pre-departure press conference.

Here are five major takeaways from the press conference held at the BCCI Headquarters in Mumbai on Thursday, June 5.

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#5 Shubman Gill on filling Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's place in the team

India's new Test skipper Shubman Gill stated that it will be difficult to replace Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the team, given they are experienced players who have played for a long time.

"Pressure is always there in every tour. Definitely, two very experienced players who played for such a long time and won so many times, very difficult to fill their space. But it is not a different kind of pressure, all of us players are used to it," he said.

In the senior batters' absence, the responsibility and pressure will be on Gill as the skipper and a batter as well.

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#4 Gautam Gambhir on Karun Nair and importance of domestic cricket

Senior batter Karun Nair earned a Test re-call on the back of a stellar domestic season. He has been included in the squad for the England tour. Gautam Gambhir spoke about how Karun's selection is good for domestic cricket and a sign that consistent performances can lead to selection. Gautam Gambhir also added that Karun will be given a decent run and his experience should help the side.

"It's just great for domestic cricket. All the youngsters will know its importance. If you keep doing well there, doors are never shut for you. Always good to have the experience of Karun, he played County cricket there and he is in really good form. His experience will come in handy. More importantly, we won't judge someone by one or two Test matches. If someone has scored heaps of runs, he will be given a decent run," he said.

Karun amassed 863 runs for Vidarbha in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy from nine matches at an average of 53.93 with four hundreds.

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#3 Gill on leadership style

Shubman Gill will have a tough challenge in his first stint as Test captain - an overseas England tour. When asked about his style of leadership, Gill stated that there is no particular style that he will follow.

The new captain added that his focus is on making players feel secure, as that will bring the best out of them.

"No particular style that I want to follow. I like communication with the players, making them feel secure. Making a bond with the players is very important for me as a captain. It is only when players are secure that they will give you their 100 percent," he reflected.

It will be interesting to see how Gill leads the team on his very first tour as the new captain.

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#2 Gambhir on being under pressure as head coach

Gautam Gamhir opened up on pressure on him as the head coach of the team ahead of the series. He stated that irrespective of the results, he will always be under pressure.

"First of all, I am always under pressure. Regardless of whether I would've won the Champions Trophy or not. Because being the coach, you want the results. It does not change with winning or losing. I am always under pressure. After New Zealand, yes, I am under pressure. After Australia, I am under pressure. After Champions Trophy, I am under pressure. I am under exactly the same pressure irrespective of results," Gambhir explained.

After back-to-back Test series defeats against New Zealand and Australia, Gautam Gambhir will be under pressure in the England series.

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#1 On Jasprit Bumrah

When asked about Jasprit Bumrah not playing all the Tests in the England series due to workload management, Gautam Gambhir stated that replacing Bumrah is difficult, but the team has enough quality bowlers.

Gautam Gambhir added that no call has been taken on how many Tests Bumrah will play in the series yet.

"Always difficult to replace Bumrah but as I said in the Champions Trophy, it is an opportunity for someone to put his hand up. And there is enough quality there. We haven't taken that call. A lot will depend on the results in the series and we will have a discussion with him. That is something that I am sure he is also aware of."

Bumrah had missed the home series against England and the 2025 Champions Trophy due to injury.