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India will embark on a significant new chapter in Test cricket as they prepare to take on England in a highly anticipated five-match Test series, beginning Friday, June 20, at Headingley, Leeds.
India gears up for post-Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma era in England
This series will not only mark the start of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle for both teams but also signals the dawn of a new leadership era for India under Shubman Gill, who steps in as the full-time Test captain. Notably, Rishabh Pant will serve as the vice-captain, lending experience and energy to a fresh-faced leadership core.
This campaign is particularly historic as India takes the field without two of its greatest Test stalwarts, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Both icons recently bid farewell to the format. Kohli concluded his Test career with a mammoth 9,230 runs from 123 matches, while Rohit exited with 4,301 runs in 67 Tests. Though their careers were filled with highs, both batters endured difficult stretches in 2024, leading to debates about their future roles. Their retirement, however, has created room for young leaders like Gill to emerge and define a new era in Indian Test cricket.
Alastair Cook on Kohli-Rohit exit and ENG vs IND Test series prediction
Former England captain Alastair Cook offered an intriguing perspective on the Indian team’s transformation during his appearance on The Overlap and Betfair’s Stick to Cricket show. Alongside fellow legends Michael Vaughan, David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd and Phil ‘Tuffers’ Tufnell.
Cook suggested that the absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, two of India’s most experienced and influential Test cricketers, might actually lead to a more open and liberated environment in the Indian dressing room. With these dominant figures no longer around, younger players may feel less pressure and more freedom to express themselves, experiment tactically, and embrace their own brand of cricket.
“I reckon this nick on, what I can’t work out, and we’ll find out obviously, is by taking those two real experienced players out—Kohli and Rohit—who have been a little bit on the… yes, on the down slide, sorry… the impact they have in the dressing room is now gone. And no matter how, when you take senior players out like that, even if they’re great leaders, you know, they might get things wrong, but no one’s ever questioning those two in that change room. So now there’s almost a clean slate,” Cook said.
Also READ: ENG vs IND 2025: Rishabh Pant confirms Shubman Gill’s batting order ahead of the first Test at Leeds
Cook didn’t undermine the stature or leadership of Kohli and Rohit but highlighted how their towering presence might have unintentionally restricted others from voicing their own ideas or styles. This, according to him, could result in a new, more aggressive and expressive India under Gill’s leadership, especially if their young talent clicks early in the series.
“I just wonder, one thing we know is, they’re going to be so talented. They’re so talented, they could pick, I reckon, 18 batsmen of almost the same quality now, couldn’t they? And it’ll be really interesting to see whether that talent, without those two there, and I’m not saying they shouldn’t be in… but the psychological thing now is that they think, ‘I can actually express myself, we can bat how we want to bat. Earlier, with Virat and Rohit in the room, it would be like, ‘This is what we should do,’ and others would just nod. But now, they might say, ‘Actually, we’re younger, we want to take England a bit… we want to be more aggressive, this is what suits us,” the cricketer turned commentator added.
Toward the end of the segment, Vaughan shifted gears and threw a direct question to the panel:
Vaughan: “All right, let’s go, predictions. What’s the score going to be?”
Without hesitation, the 2005 Ashes-winning skipper delivered his forecast:
Vaughan: “I think it’ll be 3-1 England,”
Quick to agree, Alastair Cook echoed the sentiment with a nod and a simple but firm endorsement:
Cook: “So do I,”
Also READ: Wasim Jaffer picks India’s playing XI for the first Test against England, no place for Nitish Reddy
