Rohit Sharma has decided to retire from Test cricket. He made the announcement on Wednesday, just before the Indian cricket team heads to England for their tour starting June 20. Rohit, who was India’s Test and ODI captain until that point, was supposed to lead the team in a five-match Test series, kicking off India’s involvement in the World Test Championship 2025-27.

According to sources speaking to NDTV, there were plans to drop Rohit as the Test captain even before he announced his retirement. It’s mentioned that this decision wasn’t about players aging or a transition but rather Rohit’s recent struggles with batting in Test cricket. He is expected to continue as captain for ODIs.

Former chief selector MSK Prasad believes that players like Arshdeep Singh, Sai Sudharsan, and Kuldeep Yadav should be included in the squad for the Test series. In an interview, former India coach Ravi Shastri expressed his support for Sudharsan, who has been performing well in the IPL and has experience in county cricket.

Prasad, who was selector from 2016 to 2020, explained why he thinks Arshdeep and Kuldeep should be part of the team. He suggested that in case the selectors name a 15-man squad by mid-May, they’d pick in-form Prasidh Krishna over Akash Deep as one of the five pacers. After R Ashwin’s retirement, he believes Washington Sundar should join Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep as the spin options.

As for whether Rohit should still be in the squad, Prasad thinks that decision should be up to the selection panel led by Ajit Agarkar. He mentioned that having Sai in the squad for the England series would be a good idea, especially with the WTC cycle kicking off.

If Rohit plays, he could open alongside Jaiswal, and Sai could be the backup opener. I’d leave that decision to the selectors. Sai might get a chance as the series goes on, Prasad said. He expects Shubman Gill to bat at three and Virat Kohli at four, while Prasad favors Pant as the wicketkeeper-batter, with K L Rahul solidifying his spot in the middle order.