New Delhi [India], May 28 (ANI): Ahead of the five-match test series between England and India, former cricketer Irfan Pathan said that the current Indian Test team has the 'talent and determination' to face the toughest challenges in the longest format of the game.

The series against England will take place from June to August 2025, with matches at Headingley (Leeds), Edgbaston (Birmingham), Lord's (London), Old Trafford (Manchester), and The Oval (London).

This will be India's first bilateral series since both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their retirement from Test cricket earlier this month.

Speaking on the Indian Test squad for the England series, Irfan Pathan said it as a part of the Sony Sports network campaign - Naya India, Dhakad India, 'Test cricket in England is the ultimate examination of skill, temperament, and character. With a new generation stepping up, Team India is not just carrying forward a legacy--they are writing a new chapter in our cricketing history. I am confident that this team has the talent and determination to take on the toughest challenges and inspire a new wave of fans across the country.'

Earlier on Saturday, right-hand batter Shubman Gill was appointed as the new Test captain for India, while wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant will serve as his deputy in the longest format, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squad for the highly anticipated five-match Test series.

India has added Abhimanyu Easwaran to the Test squad. He has been a domestic cricket stalwart for Bengal, with 101 first-class games, 7,674 runs at an average of 48.87, 27 centuries, and 29 fifties behind him. He had a disappointing tour to Australia last year, where he scored just 36 runs in four innings.

Following Kohli's retirement from the longest format of the game, a couple of budding and solidified figures like Sai Sudarshan and Karun Nair have been added to the middle-order.

In the bowling department, right-arm seamer Jasprit Bumrah will be leading the unit on English soil. Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh and Shardul Thakur are the other fast bowlers in the squad.

India's Test squad for England series: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav. (ANI)