How Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's absence affects India's Test fortunes going forward

In a surprising move, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma on Thursday announced his retirement from Test cricket while confirming that he would still be available for selection in ODIs. On the other hand, there are reports suggesting that Virat Kohli might also retire from Tests very soon. If that happens, it will be a big turning point for the Indian Test cricket team.

For the past 10 to 15 years, Rohit and Kohli have been key players in India’s batting line-up and the core leadership group. Rohit gave India good starts at the top as an opener ever since he made his comeback in the longest format during the 2018-19 Australia tour. Kohli controlled the game in the middle order and achieved significant milestones both as a batter and captain from 2014 to 2022.

Big changes in India’s batting line-up

India’s top and middle order will now look inexperienced with Rohit and Kohli leaving the side. Players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Sarfaraz Khan, and Shreyas Iyer may now become regulars. They all have talent, but they don’t yet have the kind of experience Rohit and Kohli had. In difficult conditions like in South Africa, England, New Zealand or Australia (SENA), this could be a problem.

Sai Sudharsan is likely to take Rohit’s place as opener as he proved his worth during the IPL 2025 season with 509 runs in 11 innings. Meanwhile, reports suggest that Shreyas Iyer may come in for Kohli in the middle order. Both Iyer and Sudharsan have done well in domestic and limited-overs international cricket, but playing long innings in Test matches is a different challenge.

More from First Cricket

'Pakistan’s stance is outstanding': Sarfaraz Ahmed supports PCB’s decision to skip India for Asia Cup 2025 'Something I will cherish forever': Shubman Gill wins ICC Men’s Player of the Month for record 4th time after successful England tour

Leadership vacuum after Rohit and Kohli

Another big concern is leadership. Rohit Sharma was the Test captain, who has proven himself time and again by winning multiple ICC and ACC trophies. Kohli, before him, was an aggressive and passionate leader who always led from the front and had the power to intimidate opposition by his actions alone. He is the first Asian and Indian captain to win a Test series in Australia.

Without Rohit and Kohli, the Indian Test team might miss strong guidance during tough situations. Now, someone like KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, or Rishabh Pant might have to play that seniority role. But all of them still lack that leadership experience at the international level. Meanwhile, reports have emerged suggesting that the BCCI is looking at Shubman Gill to replace Rohit as Test captain and Rishabh Pant as his deputy.

First big Test of the new era

India’s first big challenge awaits in the form of a five-match Test series against England in June-August. It will mark the start of a new cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC) for India. They will look to start well after falling short for three consecutive editions.

On the first two occasions, India finished runners-up, losing to New Zealand and Australia, respectively. In the latest cycle, India failed to qualify for the final after losing two straight series to the above-mentioned teams, including a whitewash against the Kiwis at home and their first defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 10 years.

Impact Shorts

View All

'Won't require surgery...': Real reason behind Jasprit Bumrah's absence from 5th Test revealed in new report

PCB bans players from WCL over India-Pakistan match controversy

There had been a lot of discussion about possible changes in the Indian Test team for the next World Test Championship cycle, especially with several senior players nearing the end of their careers. These included Rohit, Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, and Mohammed Shami. Ravichandran Ashwin had already announced his retirement midway through the 2024–25 BGT. Now, it appears those changes are finally taking shape.