India shortlists 35 players for England tour; Rohit Sharma's captaincy bid decision locked

Indian selectors have shortlisted a group of 35 players who could be part of the India A squad for the upcoming tour of England. This tour is seen as a preparation for the important five-match Test series against England, which will also be the start of India’s new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.

The A tour is planned to begin about a week after the conclusion of the ongoing IPL 2025, with the final scheduled on May 27. According to a report by TOI, Test and ODI captain Rohit Sharma is expected to travel with the India A team.

It is being said that the BCCI and the national selectors feel a strong and experienced leader is a must for the upcoming tough tour of England, and that’s why Rohit’s retention is all but confirmed.

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India shortlists 35 players for England A Tour; Rohit Sharma likely to continue as captain

After a poor performance on the Australia tour, there were many rumors about a possible change in Test captaincy. But now Rohit is likely to travel with the team as captain after he led the side to the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 title.

A BCCI source revealed, “Rohit is most likely to travel as the board feels that one needs a strong captain through the series, which is likely to be as tough as the Australia tour.”

Meanwhile, the national selectors reportedly don’t have much faith in Sarfaraz Khan. Instead, they are likely to give a chance to either Rajat Patidar or Karun Nair in the A games.

The source added, “About the middle order, the team management has shown very little confidence in Sarfaraz Khan’s ability. Nair and Patidar are seasoned red-ball players and are in fine form. It is likely that at least one of them will be on the India A team.”

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Shreyas Iyer’s Test future in limbo!!

On the other hand, BCCI has not yet decided on Shreyas Iyer’s return to the Test team. He last played a Test in February 2024 against England and was later left out of the Central Contracts and the Test squad for ignoring domestic matches with the Mumbai side.

The source added, “As for Iyer, he was dropped last year based on his poor returns in Test cricket. A final call is yet to be taken.” Notably, India will play three four-day red-ball matches against England Lions after IPL 2025 as part of their preparations for the high-profile Test series.

U-19 team set for England tour ahead of 2026 World Cup

Meanwhile, the national Under-19 team will also travel to England to prepare for the Under-19 World Cup next year. They are scheduled to play five 50-over matches and two unofficial Test matches against England’s Under-19 side in late June.

Young talents like 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who is playing for the Rajasthan Royals in the ongoing IPL 2025, and 17-year-old Ayush Mhatre, who is linked with Chennai Super Kings, are likely to be included in the squad for the England tour.

The Under-19 World Cup will take place in January 2026 and will be jointly hosted by Zimbabwe and Namibia. The BCCI source added, “The India Under-19 boys will tour England this summer. The team will reach the UK on June 21.”

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