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Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has shared his thoughts on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s Test retirement, calling it the beginning of the Gautam Gambhir era.
While speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin expressed surprise that both players retired in a short span of time. He said that it would be a challenging time for Indian cricket.
“I didn’t have an idea both [Rohit and Kohli] would retire together,” Ashwin said. “This will be a testing time for Indian cricket, and I’ll say this is truly now the beginning of the Gautam Gambhir era, he added.
Ravichandran Ashwin expressed confidence in fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah’s leadership potential while stressing the pacer’s fitness.
“The team that will tour England will be a completely new team, a transformed team where Bumrah will probably be the senior-most player.
“He is obviously one of the captaincy options; I think he deserves the captaincy, but the selectors will take a decision based on his physical capacity,” Ravichandran Ashwin remarked.
India is heading to England for a five-match Test series, and Ashwin stated that sudden retirements would certainly create a leadership vacuum.
“Their retirements will definitely create a leadership vacuum. You can’t buy experience, especially on tours like this. Virat’s energy and Rohit’s composure will be missed,” said Ashwin.
For the unversed, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their retirements from Test cricket in a short time.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who had earlier stepped away from T20Is after leading India to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 title, announced their decisions through an Instagram story.
The sudden retirements left India in a selection dilemma ahead of the five-match series in England, which kicks off at Headingley on June 20.
