India, May 25 -- On Saturday afternoon, the Board of Control for Cricket in India unveiled the 18-member squad for the upcoming five-match Test series against England, with Shubman Gill named as the new captain and Rishabh Pant appointed as his vice-captain. The squad features fresh faces, with Sai Sudharsan, Karun Nair, and Abhimanyu Easwaran earning well-deserved call-ups. However, the most notable talking point is the exclusion of Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan, a consistent performer in domestic cricket and a standout in last year's Bengaluru Test against New Zealand, where he smashed an impressive 150 runs.

Despite that sparkling performance, Sarfaraz struggled to replicate his form in the subsequent two Tests against New Zealand, whic...