Key Omissions from Team India’s Squad for the 2025 England Tour: Sarfaraz Khan and Harshit Rana among notable players dropped.
After another successful season of IPL, the focus of the Indian Cricket Team, and its fans, will shift to India’s tour of England. The tour holds great significance for many reasons. Firstly, we’ll be witnessing a transition in red ball cricket as the three maestros- Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin have already passed the baton to the younger generation. Secondly, with the onus of the series, a fresh WTC cycle starts. Hence, Men in Blue will be set for the upcoming challenges.
Since, the series holds so much vitality, after a lot of contemplation, the selectors have announced a squad which will be led by the new skipper Shubhman Gill. Overall, the team looks solid as it is infused with new young energy. However, a few surprise omissions were done. Here’s a brief of the key players who missed the cut by margins.
Beyond the numbers: Why is Sarfaraz Khan’s name missing?
Under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, Sarfaraz Khan got his much awaited Test call. He played a handful of games for India in 2024 and made the most of it as his stats were quite satisfactory. He looked as a solid backup option but just when the Indian Team needed some more stability in their batting line up, the selectors decided to drop him.
Sarfaraz Khan has represented India in 6 Test matches, scoring 371 runs at an average of 37.10, including 1 century and 3 fifties, with a highest score of 150 and a strike rate of 74.95.
In BGT 2024, he wasn’t featured in any of the games and when the team did shuffle players, they picked Dhruv Jurel over him. However, the Mumbaikar still has a chance to make a cut. The only trick is that he needs to perform exceptionally well in India A matches that will be played in England in June. Maybe some ‘Daddy hundreds’ can earn him a comeback.
Read More: Expectations from India’s new Test captain Shubman Gill
The Harshit Rana dilemma: Why is he omitted?
When the senior pacers were injured, Harshit Rana was handed his debut cap in BGT 2024. He looked aggressive and on the money initially. But as he was exposed more on the field, the inexperience creeped in and he looked rusty on numerous occasions. His line and length was compromised and he lost his place eventually. Because of his poor returns with the ball, the young pacer from Delhi might be omitted from the England tour squad.
However, just like Sarfaraz Khan, he too has a chance to leave a mark in India A matches, which will be played from 30th May till 16th June, 2025. Maybe a couple of good shows there help him find his way back in the Indian dressing room.
Harshit Rana could manage just 4 wickets in the two Test matches he played during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024–25, with a not that great bowling average of 50.75 and a strike rate of 67.5.
Mukesh Kumar’s road ahead: Why are selectors thinking beyond him?Mukesh Kumar has played three games for India in red ball cricket. He looked good but not solid enough to get selected in the presence of regular pacers- Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj.
Mukesh Kumar was named a travelling reserve for India’s 2024–25 tour of Australia, despite having already represented India in Test matches in the West Indies and South Africa. In the three Tests he has played, Mukesh has taken 7 wickets at an average of 25.57, an economy rate of 3.78, and a strike rate of 40.57—respectable numbers by any measure. However, his recent form may have prompted the selectors to look beyond him for a spot in the main squad, at least for now.
Read More: Team India’s schedule in remainder of 2025
Shreyas Iyer: The missing mark?
Recently Shreyas Iyer got an upgrade in his central contract and was quite expected to make a comeback in red ball cricket. But, selectors decided to omit him from the squad as most of the runs from his bat came in white ball cricket. He is technically very sound and knows how to negotiate against spinners. Despite that he couldn’t find his place in the squad, considering pace friendly conditions in the UK.
Shreyas Iyer has played 14 Test matches, scoring 811 runs at an average of 36.86, including 1 century and 5 fifties, with a highest score of 105.
Chief selector, Agit Agarkar cleared the air by mentioning the reasons for excluding him, stating how he has ‘no room in Test Cricket’.
Overall, the announcement of the new team brought a lot of excitement and scrutiny. But at the end, all the eyes will be on the new captain, how he tackles the conditions in his very first project!
India squad for England series 2025
Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (vice-captain & wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.
Read More: Surprise candidates who could be part of India’s squad for England tour
