Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have recently announced their retirement from Test cricket. Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting believes that replacing Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the Indian Test team will be a tough task. However, he also acknowledged that India has a deep pool of talent, and the team could soon find capable players to fill the void left by these two legends.
India is set to face England in a five-match Test series, which will mark the beginning of a new era for the team. With Rohit and Kohli stepping away from the longest format, the squad is expected to feature several young faces.
Shubman Gill has been named captain for the Test series, and one of the biggest challenges ahead of him will be to replace the impact of Rohit and Kohli. The two batting stalwarts carried the team’s scoring responsibilities for over a decade, and filling their shoes — in terms of both runs and experience — will be no easy task.
Ricky Ponting also addressed this, acknowledging the difficulty in replacing players of such caliber. However, he expressed confidence in India’s ability to find new stars, citing the example of Yashasvi Jaiswal and the steady emergence of young talent in the country. Speaking to the ICC, Ponting said:
“It’s always very hard to replace players like that who have been around for so long and played so much Test cricket. But if any country can do it, and do it quickly, it’s India — because of the amount of young talent they have,” Ponting said.
“Ricky Ponting, I’ve seen it firsthand for the past 10 years in the IPL. We’ve seen the rise of players like Jaiswal, who’ve made their way into international cricket and performed exceptionally well right from the start.
Ricky Ponting: “I Think India Can Handle It Better Than Most Other Teams”
Ricky Ponting expressed confidence in India’s ability to adapt, even if senior players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are absent. While acknowledging that their experience will be missed, he believes the team has the depth to fill the skill gap.
He said: “Replacing the skill is one thing, and I believe India will do that quite easily. However, what they’ll truly miss is the experience those players bring. Ricky Ponting Even with a young captain like Shubman Gill, they’ll still have some experienced players around—like KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, and others. When you look at a rebuilding phase, I think India is better equipped to manage it than most other teams.”
The first Test between India and England will be held at Headingley in Leeds on June 20. This match will also mark the beginning of the new ICC World Test Championship cycle (2025–27).
