Indian team lands in London for Test series against England
The Shubman Gill-led Indian team arrived in London on Saturday ahead of the much-anticipated five-match Test series against England, which begins on June 20.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a video of the team’s arrival in London on its social media handles. “Touchdown UK. Team India have arrived for the five-match Test series against England,” read the caption.
Jasprit Bumrah, Gill, Arshdeep Singh, Rishabh Pant, and Prasidh Krishna were all smiles during the journey. The squad appeared upbeat and ready for the long tour in English conditions.
Before departing from India, newly-appointed Test captain Shubman Gill reflected on the challenge of playing without stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who retired from the format last month.
“There is pressure every time you play a match or start a tour. So yes, there is pressure ahead of this series as well, but not any extra pressure. Rohit and Virat are very experienced players, and it’s difficult to fill their shoes. But as a team, we have plenty of experience and have played a lot of matches,” Gill said at the pre-departure press conference in Mumbai on Thursday.
“The players and the team are used to handling pressure. We are not an inexperienced side. The batting and bowling combinations in our team are quite strong,” the newly appointed Test skipper added.
Gill also spoke about his reaction upon learning he would be India’s new Test captain and said that the team has not yet decided on his batting position. He has previously opened the innings and also played at No. 3. With Rohit no longer in the mix, the team management must now decide who will partner Gill at the top—Yashasvi Jaiswal or Bengal opener Abhimanyu Easwaran, who is yet to make his debut.
“When I first heard that I would be getting this opportunity, it was quite overwhelming. It’s a big responsibility, and I’m looking forward to it. We still haven’t decided on the batting position yet—we have time. We’ll be playing a warm-up match in London, so that will help us finalize the batting order,” Gill said.
India are aiming to win a Test series in England for the first time since 2007. This series also marks India’s first assignment in the 2025–27 World Test Championship cycle.
