Old Guard Out, New ‘Leader’: Comparing India’s 2021 and 2025 England Test Squad. Cricket news

As India prepares for the five -match Test series in England starting on June 20 in Leeds, a symbol of a generational change in Indian cricket, opposite between 2025 and 2021 squads.Four years ago, India toured England with a team with war -priest veterans – Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, R Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami. The team was created on decades of experience, including seven players played more than 50 Tests, including Ishant who played 102 matches.Go beyond the border with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!Rapid forward to 2025, and Team India returns to a new look with a new look under the leadership of 25 -year -old Shubman Gill, with only 32 tests named after him. With the retirement of Kohli, Rohit and Ashwin, this new squad is thin on experience. Only two players in the squad have played more than 50 Tests, and three are yet to debut in the format. The leadership group is in itself in transition, a young core with Gill and Rishabh Pant.

Therefore, this tour is about testing the readiness of India’s next generation to start a new era and step into legend’s shoes. The experience between the two squads may not cause much glow, giving the 2025 series an opportunity to write a new chapter in Indian testing history.A squad of promise vs.In 2021, the Indian squad had 11 players with 35-Plus Test experiences, of which seven had already played more than 50 Tests. Virat Kohli was proceeding with 92 tests and over 7,500 runs, while his deputy Ajinkya Rahane had 74 matches. Eleven players were over 30 years of age. Together, the squad collected 83 test centuries, and the average experience of the players was 38.25 matches.Conversely that with 2025, where 10 out of 18 squad members are less than 30, and three players are yet to debut in tests. The collective testing experience per player is only at 20.6, with the entire squad only 29 Tests for hundreds. The team represents more capacity than the pedigree, which is a striking reversal from the proven match-winner of four years ago.

Leadership Transition: From giants to GreenhornIn 2021, Kohli and Rahane were two of India’s two of the most experienced campaigners, between which had more than 12,000 runs. In 2025, Gill and Rishabh Pant are still learning ropes as leaders. Gill has played 32 Tests, but England has an average of just 14.66. Pants, with 43 tests under their belt, however, bring credibility with two hundreds in nine matches in England and may be the key to India’s batting.Top Orders Shift: Uncestrance replaces stabilityRohit, KL Rahul and Pujara had a joint 161 tests and 10,952 runs in the top order of 2021, with a rock-solid top three. In 2025, Jaiswal is ready to open, but his partner remains unspecified, possibly Rahul, or Abhimanu Ishvaran or Sai Sudarshan as unlike. Gill, once a opener, had recently fallen to number 3 and can now bat at number 4 to lend stability. Used in the top order where there was certainty once.Middle Order and Lower Order: Regarding Retirement, it seems reliableWith Kohli and Rahane, the middle order of 2025 will trust Gill, Pant, KL Rahul or Karun Nair and Jadeja. While Pant brings X-factor, others will need to stand under pressure. It still seems reliable because most of them are solid bats that have appropriate amounts of experience and genealogy. At number 8, Nitish Kumar Reddy connects the depth of batting, in 2021 with Ishant, Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Sirj to bat from 8 to 11 unlike India.

Bowling attack: Jadeja-Bumrah still spinal, but depth is missingThe 2021 bowling attack was one of India’s finest foreign units – Ashwin (413 wickets), Ishant (306), Jadeja (221), Shami (184), Umesh (148), and Bumrah (83) offered speed, control and experience. In 2025, Bumrah (205 wickets), Jadeja (323), and Siraj (100) are important. However, beyond them, there is a sharp decline in experience. Kuldeep, Shardul, Arshdeep and rest bring diversity but are largely unused in English conditions.2021 tour and outlook result for 2021India’s 2021 campaign saw a 2–1 lead before stopping the series due to Kovid. The final Test played in 2022, ended in England’s victory, the series was leveled 2–2. Despite an experienced squad, the India could not seal the series.In 2025, expectations are minor but curiosity is high. Can this young Indian side define obstacles and perform in testing of English conditions? The series marks a full -cycle moment – ends one era, and potentially starts the other.