'There's no Sachin, Gavaskar, Dhoni either'; enough with the Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma obsession: Kapil Dev rants away

Kapil Dev has had enough. The former India World Cup-winning captain has urged the nation to get over this obsession around Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, insisting there's no point losing sleep over their absence in England. Kohli and Rohit, the two batting stalwarts of Indian cricket, announced their respective retirements from Test cricket, leaving the Indian team without two of the most experienced cricketers for the five-Test series against England starting 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. Kapil Dev asks to get over Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma(Agencies/PTI)

The void left by Kohli and Rohit is certainly huge to fill, and for that, a bunch of youngsters are ready to hit the ground running. Barring KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah – and to some extent Shubman Gill – most of the guys have yet to play Test cricket in England. But as the old adage goes, when one door shuts, another one opens. For all those youngsters, the five Test matches are golden opportunities to prove themselves and not only replace Kohli-Rohit in the next era 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.

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Kapil switched his focus to the five Test matches beginning tomorrow at the Headingley Cricket Stadium in Leeds. The last time India registered a victory here was way back in 2002, when Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid scored centuries in the same inning. It's been 23 years since, and only once has India won a Test series in England when it emerged victorious in 2007. MS Dhoni and Kohli had two attempts but couldn't. The baton is now handed over to Shubman Gill, who has played just three Test matches in England until now.

Kapil on India's chances in England

Gill's appointment as India's Test captain has been met with many reservations. While no one has openly claimed that Gill may not succeed in his new role, more so because his batting in SENA nations leaves a lot to be desired, people have reminded him of what's at stake. Dinesh Karthik has informed Gill that he is entering a Lion's Den, whereas Dawid Gower has urged him to prioritise batting over captaincy – Karthik said that too. Kapil, however, is backing the youngster to the hilt, showing confidence in this young Indian team to succeed 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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