EXCL | 'Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli will leave a huge gap once they are gone' – Monty Panesar
Ind vs Eng Tests: Panesar thought it would be interesting to see how the Indian squad handles the situation when senior players – Rohit and Kohli retire.
Delhi: Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are easily the two most prolific batsmen of the generation. And that's why it's a frightening prospect to even think of India playing without them, and that's exactly what former England spinner Monty Panesar feels. In an exclusive interaction on the sidelines of 'One World, One Family Cup', Panesar was asked who is the young Indian cricketer who excites him the most. While mentioning Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rinku Singh; Panesar also thought it would be interesting to see how the Indian team handles the situation when senior players – Rohit and Kohli retire.
“The most exciting right now is Rinku Singh. It will be interesting to see when both Virat and Rohit leave. Once Rohit and Kohli are gone, a huge gap will be left behind. If you look at the South Africa Test series, there is only Kohli who scored and looked comfortable. That's the reality, you see. Take these two out, the gap is wide at the moment and the SA tour has shown that. So there is actually a reality check about where the next Kohli will come from. And that's why you have to let Rohit and Kohli play a little more and not throw their boots away quickly,” Panesar told India.com.
Indian squad for the first two Tests against England: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (vc) and Avesh Khan.
The opening Test will take place at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad from January 25.
Meanwhile, England suffered a major blow as star batsman Harry Brook was ruled out due to personal reasons in the Test series against India starting next week. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has appointed Surrey's Dan Lawrence as Brook's replacement. Lawrence will join the England Test squad on Monday.