‘There’s No Sachin, Gavaskar, Dhoni Either’: Kapil Dev Urges Fans to Move Past Virat–Rohit Obsession

‘There’s No Sachin, Gavaskar, Dhoni Either’: Kapil Dev has had enough of it. The former captain of India during their World Cup-winning operation has implored the nation to move on from this fixation on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, insisting that there's no reason to lose any sleep over their absence at this stage in England. Kohli and Rohit, both batting stalwarts of the Indian cricket team, announced their respective retirements from Test cricket, leaving the Indian team without two of its most experienced cricketers for a five-Test series against England starting on Friday. Rohit announced his retirement on May 7, and Kohli just five days later on May 12, but Kapil reminds that it's not the end of the world.

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The vacuum offered by Kohli and Rohit is definitely huge to fill, albeit some young players are taking a fresh start. Although all players on the squad except KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Ravi Jadeja, and Jasprit Bumrah – perhaps to a lesser degree Shubman Gill – have not played Test cricket in England. As the old saying goes, when one door closes another opens. All those youngsters now have the golden opportunities to impress during the five Test matches on this rough tour, and not just at any normal time, at a time of transition, immediately replacing Kohli-Rohit in the next phase of Indian Test cricket.

"Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh and Anil Kumble aren’t there either. So, there's no point thinking about who isn't around. Yes, they will be missed, but we need to look at the next generation and be proud of them. Rohit has done his job; Virat has done his job. They made us proud, but let's see if the next generation of players can be bigger," Kapil said on Aaj Tak.

Kapil turned his attention to the five Test matches that start tomorrow at Headingley Cricket Stadium, Leeds. The last occasion India won here was back in 2002, when Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, and Rahul Dravid made centuries in the same innings. That was 23 years ago, and the only time India has been successful in a Test series in England was in 2007. MS Dhoni and Kohli had two attempts but failed. The torch must be passed to Shubman Gill, who has participated in merely three Test matches in England up until now.

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Gill's presiding captaincy of the Test squad designated as skipper has been perceived with some suspicion. While there no one has outright said that Gill might not perform in his role, more, due to poor batting in SENA countries. People have hinted at warnings. Gill recently, wearing the Club jacket, has taken advice from Dinesh Karthik, which Karthik labelled it a Lion's Den, and Dawid Gower admitted that batting must always come be a priority, when being captain, triangular remarks as Karthik, obviously effectively. Kapil has chosen the kid and endorsed his vision entirely, believing this young Indian team can perform in England.

"He has captained a lot in the IPL. One-day cricket and T20 cricket are so different to Test cricket. In Test matches, you need nerves. He has the experience; he has the ability. I am not too bothered about it. I know this team is good enough to win," said Kapil.

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