Former Indian cricketer Yograj Singh recently expressed his belief that the legendary duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma still had a lot to offer in the Test format. This comes after both players announced their retirement from Test cricket last month, just before the upcoming five-match series in England.
With the absence of Kohli and Sharma, the Indian team has appointed Shubman Gill as their Test captain. This marks the first time in a while that the Indian XI will take the field in red-ball cricket without these two senior players since the Johannesburg Test against South Africa in early 2022.
In an interview with Insidesport, Yograj Singh voiced his disappointment at the sudden retirement of Kohli and Sharma from Test cricket. He believes that both players still have at least another five years of cricket left in them and should have continued playing to mentor the younger generation. He expressed his concern that the baton has been passed to Gill without proper guidance from the senior players.
Yograj also reflected on his efforts to convince his son, Yuvraj Singh, not to retire during his career, highlighting the emotional aspect of bidding farewell to the game.
Kohli and Sharma had a tough outing in their last Test series against Australia, with both players struggling to make an impact with the bat. Despite this, they played crucial roles in India’s successful tour of England in 2021/22. Kohli led the team to a 2-1 lead in the series, while Sharma was the standout performer with 368 runs at an average of 52.57.
However, the series was postponed due to COVID-19, and Rohit missed the final Test in 2022 as India suffered a defeat. The absence of Kohli and Sharma will undoubtedly be felt in the upcoming series against England, as the Indian team looks to fill the void left by these two stalwarts.
Overall, Yograj Singh’s comments shed light on the impact of Kohli and Sharma’s retirement on Indian cricket and the challenges that lie ahead for the team in their absence. The younger players will now have to step up and fill the shoes of these two greats as India embarks on a new chapter in Test cricket.
