5 players in India's squad for ENG vs IND 2025 Tests who were part of the 2018 series ft. Karun Nair

India toured England for a multi-format series in 2018, which included three T20Is, as many ODIs, and five Tests, with the trip spanning just a little over three months. The hosts showcased complete dominance across all formats, winning both the white ball series 2-1 and the red-ball series 4-1.

From 2018 to 2025, the Indian Test team has undergone several changes. While Virat Kohli led the team during the 2018 series, it’ll be a young Shubman Gill at the helm when India tour England next month in June.

Gill was named India’s Test captain on Saturday, May 24, taking over the reins from Rohit Sharma, who retired from the format earlier this month. While a lot has changed over these years, the Indian squads of 2018 and 2025 have seven names in common.

Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja have been India’s mainstays in the format, and it is obvious for them to be a part of both squads. However, several players in the Indian setup have been in and out of the Test squad for some or the other reasons.

Here we look at five such names, besides Bumrah and Jadeja, who are part of the current squad and were also part of the Indian Test team when they toured England in 2018.

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#5 Shardul Thakur

Shardul Thakur earned a call-up to the Test side ahead of the five-match tour of England and is one of the seven pacers named in the squad. The Indian management looked past Thakur during the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, but the seam-bowling all-rounder has found a place in the squad for the England tour for a third consecutive time after 2018 and 2021.

Thakur was a part of the Indian team that registered a historic win against England at The Oval and Lord’s in 2021. He has 31 wickets to his name from 11 Tests.

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#4 KL Rahul

Even KL Rahul has experienced bad phases in his cricketing career, including in Tests, but with his current form across formats, he’s proved to be a crucial cog in the Indian setup. He has performed well in Tests in the past few years and also put up some worthy performances in the white-ball format.

Rahul did not have a memorable outing when India toured England in 2018, and registered a century in the final innings of the final game after nine dismal outings across five games. He also notched up a century during the 2021 tour, featuring in four games, with 129 being his best score, followed by an 84-run knock. Notably, he did not cross the 50-run mark in the remaining six innings.

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#3 Rishabh Pant

Though the Indian team returned home with disappointing results from the 2018 tour, a new name in the Test format emerged as Rishabh Pant made his debut in the third Test of the series. After forgettable outings in the third and fourth Tests, Pant notched up his maiden ton in the format in the fifth and final Test, marking his arrival on the big stage.

During the 2021 tour, Pant registered just one half-century in eight innings and failed to put up worthy performances as the two sides shared the series 2-2. He’s now been named the first-choice wicketkeeper and the vice-captain for the 2025 tour and hence, is expected to play all five matches.

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#2 Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav has been in and out of the Indian Test squad ever since his debut in 2017. Over the years, he has only played 13 Tests, of which none have come at home, and one each in Sri Lanka, England, and Bangladesh.

Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin have dominated with the ball in Indian and overseas matches, making little to no space for other spinners. But with Ashwin having announced his retirement, it’ll be interesting to see if Kuldeep takes his place in the XI, given the conditions on offer.

Kuldeep played just one game out of the five Tests between England and India in 2018, at Lord’s. He bowled only nine overs, including a maiden, conceded 44 runs and went wicketless in the game. Overall, the spinner has 56 career Test wickets from 13 games.

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#1 Karun Nair

Karun Nair made his Test debut in 2016, but has played only six games in the red-ball format for India since then. The Jodhpur-born cricketer scripted history in just his third Test outing, becoming only the second Indian after Virender Sehwag to notch up a triple ton in the format.

Courtesy of his 303-run knock against England in December 2016, he was considered for the Australia series in March 2017. However, he wasn’t considered for any Test match after that, and had been waiting for a call-back since then. He was a part of the England tour in 2018 but didn’t feature in any game.

The 33-year-old finally earned his place back into the squad for the upcoming tour of England, and will be hopeful of sealing a spot in the playing XI for all five games.