Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 6 (ANI): Ahead of leaving for the England tour, Indian Test skipper Shubman Gill expressed his thoughts on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s retirement from the longest format of the game and said that “it will be difficult to fill their spaces” in the team.
On May 7, Rohit announced his retirement from Test cricket after a career spanning 67 Tests and 11 years, ahead of the England tour, kickstarting India’s ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle from June 20 onwards.
On the other hand, on May 12, the world stood in silence after Kohli announced his decision to retire from Tests more than a month before the highly anticipated five-match Test series against the Three Lions.
Speaking on both players’ retirement, Gill said during India’s pre-departure press conference, “There is pressure in every tour on the team to win. The two experienced players, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, are unfortunately not in the squad. They have win so many matches for us and it will be difficult for us to fill their spaces in the squad.”
“Although the experienced players are not there but the batting and bowling combination we are going with in this series is really a mix of experience and talent,” he added.
Further, the 25-year-old player shared his thoughts on getting the Test captaincy, saying that it is a “big opportunity” for him.
When I learned that I had been selected to captain the test team, I was overwhelmed by the whole experience. It’s a big opportunity for me, and I am looking forward to this great challenge.”
“There is no particular style that I have to follow. I have played so much cricket so far and everyone knows my style of playing. I like to communicate and secure every player. I like to bond with the players. If they are secure, then only they can give their 100 per cent,” the right-hand batter concluded.
India will begin the five-match series against England on June 20 at Headingley. The second Test is set for July 2 at Edgbaston, followed by the third on July 10 at Lord’s. The fourth Test will take place at Old Trafford from July 23, while the final match of the series is scheduled at The Oval starting July 31.nt from Test cricket earlier this month.
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)
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