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As India gears up to begin their five-match Test series against England at Headingley, Leeds, an emotional and historic transition quietly unfolds within the team.
India without their Test stalwarts for the first time since 2011
For the first time since 2011, the Indian Test XI will take the field without any of the celebrated legends of the game, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and Ravichandran Ashwin. The last instance of such an occurrence was during the Oval Test against England in 2011 when MS Dhoni captained the side. Today, under the youthful leadership of Shubman Gill, India will embark on a fresh cycle of the ICC World Test Championship without the pillars who defined a generation of Indian Test cricket.
While Pujara and Rahane have not formally announced their retirements, their names no longer figure in national team considerations. The other three, Rohit and Kohli in early 2025 and Ashwin in 2024, have officially retired from the longest format, marking the end of an era that saw India rise to No.1 rankings and achieve memorable victories abroad.
Ravichandran Ashwin’s wife Prithi emotional post on Indian stalwarts absence
As the sun rose on June 20, the day of the first Test, a poignant Instagram story posted by Prithi Narayanan, wife of Ashwin, echoed the emotional vacuum left by this generational shift.
“Test match day for India and I woke up with many many mixed feelings 🙂 have to find a different way to love it and unlearn the only way I knew to,” Prithi wrote.
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The statement, subtle yet deeply introspective, appears to be a reflection on Ashwin’s retirement from Test cricket and possibly an emotional response to the broader absence of all recently retired stalwarts, each of whom shaped Indian Test cricket in the last decade and a half. For Prithi, and perhaps for many close to the players and the sport, this was not just the start of a Test, it was the first of a new emotional chapter, detached from the routine of cheering for a familiar presence like Ashwin on the field.
While the absence of Kohli, Rohit, Ashwin, Pujara, and Rahane might feel staggering to many, the Indian side led by Gill now carries the weight of legacy with fresh ambition. Young guns like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan and Dhruv Jurel, guided by the seasoned pace duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, will look to build their own legacy. With Rishabh Pant as vice-captain, the leadership group itself embodies a new vision, one that values aggressive play, resilience, and reinvention.
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