Going into the series against England, India will be short on experience in the top order as both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli recently retired from the format. However, India does possess a vast resources of talent pool at its disposal, and former Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting is quite optimistic about India being able to replace the veteran players.
“It’s always very hard to replace players that have been around for so long. But if any country can do it and do it quickly, India can because of the amount of young talent that they have,” said Ponting to the ICC.
BCCI chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar said the team will miss the experience of Kohli, but also acknowledged that it is an opportunity for others to step up. He also revealed Kohli’s decision of wanting to leave came in April.
“When guys like that retire, it’s always going to be big holes to fill. Even Ashwin retired a few months back. All those guys are stalwarts of Indian cricket. It’s always difficult. One way to look at it is that it’s an opportunity for someone else. Obviously, I’ve had conversations with both of them over the last couple of months. Virat obviously reached out in early April and said he wants to finish,” Agarkar said.
“We’ve seen him want to give 200 percent every ball that plays… even when he’s not batting and in the field. He had given everything that he had and if he can’t keep up to the standards that he’s set for himself over the years and how good he has been, maybe it was time for him,” he added.
“It’s tough for him; you’ve got to respect that. They have earned that respect, both of them (Rohit and Kohli), and the one thing with great players is that they are true to themselves. When you’ve got a guy who’s played 123 Test matches, you will obviously miss them. It’s tough to fill that spot, but it’s an opportunity for someone else. He has shown what needs to be done to succeed at this level,” Agarkar added.
