Australian cricket icon Ricky Ponting recently shared his thoughts on how the Indian team will manage the significant retirements of star batsmen Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from Test cricket.
As Team India gears up for their five-match Test series in England, set to begin on June 24 at Headingley Carnegie Stadium, they’ll be without the invaluable presence of Sharma and Kohli, both of whom have stepped away from the longest format of the game. This series marks a new chapter for Indian cricket, with Shubman Gill taking the reins as the new captain.
Ponting acknowledged the immense challenge of filling the void left by such seasoned players in Test cricket. However, he expressed strong belief in India’s deep pool of talent, confident in their ability to navigate this transition effectively. “It’s always very difficult to replace players like that who have been around for so long and have played so much Test cricket. But if any country can do it quickly, it’s India because of the young talent they have,” Ponting was quoted as saying by The ICC Review.
He further elaborated on India’s unique position, drawing on his own observations: “I’ve seen it firsthand over the last 10 years in the IPL, and we’ve witnessed the emergence of players like (Yashasvi) Jaiswal who have transitioned to international cricket with India and performed well almost immediately.”
While confident in India’s ability to replace the sheer skill, Ponting highlighted experience as the crucial element that will be missed. He noted that even with a young captain like Gill, the team will still benefit from the presence of experienced players such as KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah. “While replacing the skill is one aspect, which I believe India can do relatively easily, the experience is the key element that will be missing. Even with a young captain like Shubman Gill, they will still have some experienced players like KL Rahul and Bumrah around,” he stated.
Ricky Ponting concluded by emphasizing India’s resilience in such a phase: “In a rebuilding phase, I think India can handle it better than most other teams.”
We certainly agree with Ricky Ponting, what do you say?
