Are the Subsequent-Gen able to take over the legacy Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma leaving?

No doubt, it will be an emotional day for India’s next-gen stars as Virat Kohli announced his Test retirement. For once, they won’t have to fight for a spot with someone who seemed unmovable. But then, it’s the void that they will have to cope with and fill in. The likes of Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal and others won’t have the protection they have enjoyed so far that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma provided. The garden me ghumne wala generation, as Rohit coined, is now the face of Indian Test cricket. But are they ready to take up the mantle?

Shubman Gill will be the new face of Indian cricket. He is the frontrunner to lead Team India in England. He is already called the Prince, and he is set to succeed King Kohli. Rishabh Pant is the next big face. With his unorthodox approach, often failing, he has made his own fan base. While the runs have dried up of late, he is still the x-factor.

But in terms of runs, the volume of it, Yashasvi Jaiswal might be the batter who can. He has already left a mark in Australia, at home against England, and now is the time for him to shine in England.

The new faces

43-Test old Rishabh Pant is the senior-most in the batting group. He has already led India to a series win in Australia. But as Pant has ever been, he is unpredictable and inconsistent. In his Test career that began in England in 2018, he has had ups and downs. Pant averages 42.11 in 75 innings and has scored nearly 3000 runs. He also averages 37.59 in away matches. However, there is always a “but” in Pant’s career. Since his return to cricket following a long layoff, he hasn’t looked the best version of himself. But he is all set to be the new vice captain.

Yashasvi Jaiswal is the latest addition to the trio. But he is by far the best batter among the three at the moment. Averaging 52.88 after 19 Tests, Jaiswal has started his Test career well. While many doubted his impact in Australia, he silenced all of them, scoring 391 runs at an average of 43.44. But it was his show against England at home that put him in the limelight. Jaiswal scored 712 runs in 9 innings at an average of 89.00. With the winds in his wings, he is now the new run-machine for India in Tests.

Shubman Gill seemed as the natural successor to Virat Kohli, minus the aggression. He was an unmovable force in ODIs, as Kohli was. However, his Test career hasn’t quite taken the leap yet. After 32 Tests, he is averaging a mere 35.05. Away from home, that average dips to 29.50. While he is tipped to be the next India Test captain, he will be judged for every run he scores. The 26-year-old has tough days ahead of him.

The up-and-coming faces

While Gill-Pant-Jaiswal will take the centre stage, India have a plethora of talent in red ball cricket. Sarfaraz Khan, with tons of runs in domestic cricket, broke down the door. While he is currently injured and has his batting issues to sort out, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, and Dhurv Jurel can take the middle-order onus.

Mr Consistent of IPL, Sai Sudharsan, averages 39.93 in first-class cricket. But he has already impressed a lot of former players with his batting prowess. As he is certain to be in that India squad for the England Tests, it will be the first big test.

Padikkal has already made his Test debut. While one cannot judge his success in just three innings, the youngster from Karnataka has the game to cement a place in the middle-order.

Similarly, Nitish Kumar Reddy, a surprise pick for the Australia tour, has also impressed with the bat. He scored a century in Perth to show the world that he belongs on the big stage.