New Delhi, May 22: India’s squad for the upcoming five-match Test tour of England is likely to be announced on May 24, said sources to IANS. India will begin their tour of England with the series opener at Headingley on June 20 and is followed by matches at Edgbaston, Lord’s, Old Trafford, and The Oval.

It is also believed that chief selector Ajit Agarkar could announce the squad in a press conference on the same day in Mumbai. “There has been some confusion on whether the squad would come out on May 24 or 25. But the last time, it was heard that May 24 is the likely date of men’s Test squad announcement and also the unveiling of the new Test skipper,” further said sources to IANS.

The Test squad was to be selected earlier by the Agarkar-led selection committee, but it was deferred by two weeks due to Rohit Sharma quitting the format with immediate effect and Virat Kohli soon following him into retirement from the longest format.

As of now, Shubman Gill is the front-runner to be India’s next Test captain, though Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant are also in the race for the top job. Gill, 25, has earned plaudits for the way he has led Gujarat Titans (GT) with proactiveness and got them into sealing the IPL 2025 playoffs spot.

Gill and his GT opening partner B Sai Sudharsan are slated to join the India ‘A’ squad ahead of the second match against England Lions at Northampton. India Test players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel, and Sarfaraz Khan along with other India 'A' team members, are likely to leave for England on May 25, ahead of the first game happening on May 30.

IANS understands that India 'A’ squad members Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ishan Kishan, Harshit Rana, and Harsh Dubey are likely to leave for England from New Delhi on the morning of May 26, after playing the Sunrisers Hyderabad-Kolkata Knight Riders IPL 2025 game at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday evening. It will also be the final game of the season for SRH and KKR, who are already eliminated from the competition.

--IANS

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