Indian cricket legends Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli officially bid farewell to Test cricket in May 2025. In the wake of their retirement from the longest format, Shubman Gill has been named the new captain of the Indian Test team. At just 25, Gill becomes the fifth-youngest player to lead India in Tests and is set to begin his captaincy with a five-match series against England, starting Friday, June 20 at Headingley, Leeds.
However, the decision has sparked debate. Former India pacer Yograj Singh, known for his strong words, is once again in the limelight—this time for his comments on Rohit and Virat's Test retirement. He suggested that both players stepped away from Test cricket too early. Speaking to InsideSport, Yograj argued that the two stalwarts still had at least five more years of cricket left in them.
“Rohit and Virat shouldn’t have retired from Test cricket,” he said. “I told Rohit to wake up at 5 a.m. and run 20 kilometers daily to stay fit. Both had the potential to contribute much more. The responsibility of leadership should be earned, not handed over. It feels like Gill was simply given the captaincy without a proper transition.”
Yograj also reflected on a similar experience with his son, former cricketer Yuvraj Singh: “Even when Yuvraj was nearing retirement, I told him I’d support him in becoming India’s captain. But he chose to step away.”
As India prepares to take on England in a high-stakes series without two of its greatest modern-day players, the spotlight now turns to Shubman Gill and how he leads the team into this new era.