Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin have all stepped away from Test cricket. Nearly a year and a half has passed since Kohli and Rohit departed from the format. Shubman Gill has assumed the captaincy role following their exit. The transition has sparked discussion about whether the sport’s appeal depends on the presence of marquee players.
Virender Sehwag, the former India opener, has weighed in on the debate surrounding fan interest after the departure of these established names. Speaking to News18, Sehwag addressed claims that supporters watch cricket primarily for individual stars.
“Log kehte zaroor hain, unke fans kehte hain ki hum Virat Kohli ke liye cricket dekhte hain ya Rohit Sharma ke liye dekhte hain. Par aisa toh Sunil Gavaskar ke liye bhi kaha jata tha, Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar ke liye bhi kaha jata tha (People do say that they watch cricket just for Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma. But the same thing used to be said for Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar),” Sehwag said as quoted by NDTV Sports.
Sehwag on the pattern of attributing viewership to individual stars
Sehwag highlighted that the pattern of attributing viewership to individual players is not new in Indian cricket history. Similar claims were made about legendary figures across different eras. He pointed out that the game has continued to attract audiences despite the retirements of major stars in the past.
“Yet, people are still watching as much cricket as they used to before. In fact, more people are watching now because earlier it used to come on TV, but now it is available on mobile phones. It has become even easier,” Sehwag said.
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The former opener stressed that the game’s survival does not depend solely on the presence of individual cricketers. His argument suggests that cricket’s appeal is rooted in broader factors beyond player personalities.
“Agar cricketers se hi game chal rahi hoti, toh ab tak band ho jati (If only cricketers were the ones driving the game, it would’ve stopped by now). So, to say that if this player retires, we won’t watch cricket anymore, maybe some of their fans won’t. I have also heard people say, ‘You stopped playing, so we stopped watching,’ but that’s not really the case. They probably still watch a little bit,” Sehwag said.
