Sai Sudharsan and Nitish Kumar Reddy are conspicuously absent from the 16-man squad that former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer has selected for the forthcoming five-match Test series against England. Once Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma depart, India’s red-ball team will start a new season; the official announcement is scheduled for May 24.
India’s new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle will begin with the forthcoming England series, which begins on June 20. Choosing a new Test captain and rebuilding the team are difficult tasks for the national selectors. Sudharsan’s absence is the most conspicuous absence from Jaffer’s team.
One of the nation’s most technically talented young batters, the left-hander has been in outstanding form in the 2025 Indian Premier League. Alongside KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jaffer selected India A captain Abhimanyu Easwaran as a backup opener despite his outstanding achievements for the Gujarat Titans and in the local circuit.
Meanwhile, attention was also drawn to Nitish Kumar Reddy’s omission. During the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier this year, the youthful all-rounder made an impression in his first Test series, especially with the bat. But Jaffer’s recent performance in the IPL 2025, where he battled for Sunrisers Hyderabad, might have affected his choice. Interestingly, they are both included in the India A team for the two first-class games against the England Lions.
Check Wasim Jaffer’s tweet below:
My India squad for Eng tour:
1. Yashasvi
2. KL
3. Shubman (vc)
4. Iyer/Karun
5. Pant (wk)
6. Jadeja
7. Shardul
8. Kuldeep
9. Shami
10. Bumrah (c)
11. Siraj
12. Easwaran
13. Jurel (wk)
14. Sarfaraz
15. Arshdeep/Prasiddh/Akashdeep
16. Washington
What’s yours?#ENGvIND
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) May 22, 2025
Along with Shubman Gill as vice-captain, the former has selected Jasprit Bumrah as the next Test skipper. Reports, however, indicate that Gill will be the next Test captain. However, it appears that Jaffer values Bumrah’s background in leading India abroad.
In addition, he has selected players like Karun Nair and Shreyas Iyer to bolster the middle order and has favoured Washington Sundar over Axar Patel as a spinning all-rounder. As backup pacers, Jaffer has chosen the seasoned Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj as well as the young Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, and Akash Deep.
Wasim Jaffer’s squad for England series:
KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill (VC), Karun Nair/Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah (C), Mohammed Siraj, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Arshdeep Singh/Prasidh Krishna/Akash Deep, Washington Sundar.
India
