Former chief selector picks India’s new Test captain and No. 4 batter in ENG vs IND 2025 series

Former Team India selector MSK Prasad advised the side to appoint ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah as their Test captain ahead of the tour of England. With Rohit Sharma announcing his Test retirement earlier in the month, India are searching for a new captain.

Recent reports have suggested Shubman Gill as the frontrunner, considering Bumrah's potential absence for a few Tests due to workload management. Other options include KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant.

Talking to the PTI about India's next Test captain, Prasad said (via India Today):

"My captain would be Jasprit Bumrah as he has already proven himself as a leader. As far as my vice-captain is concerned, I would like Shubman Gill to gain some experience as Bumrah's deputy. In case you have a problem with Bumrah's fitness then my choice is KL Rahul."

Bumrah recently captained India in Rohit's absence in the first and fifth Tests of the Australia series down under. India achieved their lone win on the tour under Bumrah in the series opener at Perth.

While Bumrah has captained India in three Tests overall, Rahul has led the side in as many Tests. On the other hand, Gill has never captained India in Tests.

"Would like KL Rahul to bat No. 4" - MSK Prasad

KL Rahul was one of India's lone bright spots in the Australian tour at the end of last year [Credit: Getty]

MSK Prasad believes veteran batter KL Rahul should replace Virat Kohli at the crucial No.4 position in the upcoming England Test series. Following Rohit, Kohli retired from Tests a week later, leaving a massive hole in India's batting lineup.

Rahul has batted only twice at No.4 in Tests but averages an impressive 54 at the position, with a highest score of 86.

"As far as my assessment goes, Nitish Reddy's bowling will be more effective in England than it was in Australia. If we are taking 16, then I would want a left-arm swing bowler and my choice is Arshdeep Singh. I would like KL Rahul to bat No. 4 and my reserve opener would be Abhimanyu Easwaran," said Prasad [Via aforementioned source].

India will play five Tests in England, starting with the series opener at Leeds on June 20.

MSK Prasad's Indian squad for England Tests

Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (vc), Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah (c), Mohd Siraj, Mohd Shami, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Abhimanyu Easwaran