The well-known cricket analyst Harsha Bhogle recently shared his Test Team of the Year for 2025. He selected eleven players who truly stood out in the longest format over the past twelve months. This list includes four Indian cricketers who played consistently well all season.

Bhogle went with KL Rahul as his first-choice opener. The right-hander secured his spot with 813 runs from 19 innings at an average of 45. Bhogle called Rahul the ideal Test opener. He pointed out how the batter stayed calm and kept his technique solid, even on tough pitches.

To join Rahul at the top, the commentator went with Australia's Travis Head. It’s a bit of a surprise move since Head usually plays in the middle order. Even so, Head proved he could handle it when he opened during the Ashes.

He played two huge innings that really changed the momentum of that series. Because of that, India’s captain Shubman Gill took the number three spot instead of opening. Gill piled up 983 runs, including five hundreds.

That kind of scoring is why Bhogle saw him as a top candidate for Test Player of the Year. The team then featured legends Joe Root and Steve Smith at four and five. This gave the middle order plenty of experience and reliability.

Bhogle picked Ravindra Jadeja for the number six spot. He chose him mainly as a batting all-rounder to help balance the team. Jadeja's bowling wasn't quite as dominant as it had been in past years.

Still, his batting average of 63.7 convinced Bhogle that Jadeja can change a game in the final sessions. On top of that, Alex Carey took the gloves as the clear choice for wicketkeeper after a great season. Carey put up 743 runs at an average of 53. He was excellent behind the stumps against both pace and spin. This makes him a certain selection for the role.

Mitchell Starc led the attack. He earned the title of Bhogle’s Test Player of the Year after taking 51 wickets at an average of just 17. Pat Cummins joined him in the bowling unit and served as the captain of this XI.

Even though he only played six games, Cummins took 26 wickets at 16.53. Bhogle had high praise for his leadership on the field. For the third seamer, Mohammed Siraj got the nod over Jasprit Bumrah.

Siraj bowled long, tough spells and showed a lot of heart all year. Finally, South African off-spinner Simon Harmer rounded out the team as the specialist spinner. Bhogle gave him credit for his performances in India.

Harsha Bhogle's Test Team of 2025

KL Rahul, Travis Head, Shubman Gill, Steve Smith, Joe Root, Ravindra Jadeja, Alex Carey (WK), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (C), Mohammed Siraj, Simon Harmer