5 India players who toured England in 2021 but are not part of the ENG vs IND 2025 Tests ft. Virat Kohli
Three years after Team India lost the rescheduled Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham, the Asian giants will be back in England chasing their first Test series win in the country since 2007. There have been massive changes to the visitors' squad, including a change in captaincy.
As such, a young Indian side will step into the English shores hoping to seal their first Test series since nearly a decade, with some of their mainstays missing from the previous tour.
A handful of the players will be vastly unfamiliar with the challenges before them, but it also presents them with an opportunity to do something incredibly special.
We take a look at five Indian players who were part of the 2021 tour of England but not part of the upcoming series:
Five Indian players who were part of the 2021 England tour but are not a part of upcoming series
#5 Ravichandran Ashwin
Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was included in the squad to tour England as one of the spinners but didn't get a game due to Ravindra Jadeja being the first-choice for the tourists. The 38-year-old has a decent record on English soil, playing seven Tests and taking 18 wickets at 28.11 apiece with a best of 4-62.
However, Ashwin won't be a part of the upcoming series as he retired midway during the tour of Australia last year. The veteran spinner's final Test was against Australia in Adelaide as he retired amid the third game in Brisbane. With 537 scalps in 106 Tests, Ashwin retired as India's second-highest wicket-taker in the format.
#4 Mohammed Shami
Right-arm seamer Mohammed Shami has arguably been one of the most notable exclusions from the squad, given he was viewed as the perfect foil for Jasprit Bumrah despite not playing a Test since June 2023. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar cited fitness issues behind not selecting Shami for the England tour, though.
In four matches during the 2021 tour of England, the 34-year-old picked up 13 wickets at 34.23. However, the veteran seamer also averages 40.50 in 14 Tests, picking up 42 scalps. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen if Shami is in India's plans moving forward.
#3 Cheteshwar Pujara
Former India No. 3 Cheteshwar Pujara has been out of the Test side for nearly two years, having last played a red-ball game for the national team in 2023. Despite racking up runs in the Ranji Trophy, the Saurashtra batter hasn't returned to the Indian team.
Pujara was remotely in the mix for the upcoming tour of England, but the selectors decided to blood in youngsters instead. Although the right-handed batter averages a modest 29.70 from 16 Tests in England, his experience of county cricket would have been handy for India. Pujara fared decently during the 2021 tour of England, accumulating 306 runs in 10 innings at 34.
#2 Rohit Sharma
Ex-Test captain Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket ahead of the England tour after struggling in Australia in the five-match series last year. Rohit managed only 31 runs in three Tests he played Down Under and claimed to have dropped himself from the final game of the tour due to form concerns.
Although the veteran asserted during the Sydney Test against Australia that he doesn't plan to retire, he bid adieu to the format. He was India's leading run-getter during the tour of England in 2021, aggregating 368 runs at 52.57, including a best of 127 at The Oval. The right-handed batter forged a solid opening partnership with KL Rahul.
#1 Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli's Test retirement was perhaps the most shocking development of all ahead of the England tour. The 36-year-old announced his retirement via a lengthy Instagram post on May 12, claiming how it was the right time to exit. With Kohli not being part of the Indian Test side anymore, Shubman Gill, appointed as the new captain, could bat at No. 4.
The Delhi-born cricketer had also captained India during the tour of England when the tourists held a 2-1 lead. However, he had a below-par tour with the bat, managing 249 runs in nine innings at 27.49 with two fifties. Kohli also averages only 33.21 in 17 Tests, with two centuries and five half-centuries.