Retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from Test cricket has created huge debates on what is next for Indian cricket. Some feel the time has come to place trusts on the younger lot, whereas others are uncertain if Shubman Gill can take over the captaincy in a tough tour of England. On the contrary, Ricky Ponting, a former Australian cricketer, was supporting Gill in a recent ICC review chat and also gave his views on both Kohli’s retirement and Gill’s prospects.
According to Ponting, “It’s very difficult to replace players who have been around for so long and have had such great careers.” But in his conversation, there is confidence regarding the talent pool of India, suggesting that if any country could bounce back from this setback quickly, it is going to be India. He referred to his IPL experience, mentioning players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, whose development he has seen over time.
Ponting feels that with respect to replacing the skills, it will not be so hard for India, but the hard part will be developing the experience. He also believes that even with Gill as a young captain, having the senior players around in KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah to help nurture this team will be very important.
Read Also:- Pant Scare During Training as India Preps for England Test Series
According to Ponting and many others, India will sail through this transition with ease. His stint as coach of a young Punjab Kings which went on to make the IPL final after a long gap gives him a bird’s eye view on the depth of talent in Indian cricket. Now under Gill’s able leadership, the young team will try to prove him right.
