Follow UsEarlier, on May 12 (Monday), former Indian skipper Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket out of the blue, putting an abrupt end to a legacy. Kohli retired as India’s fourth-highest run scorer in the red-ball format, with 9,230 runs, averaging 46.85, with 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries.
While Kohli has been rather tight-lipped about the rationale behind the decision, his close friend and former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) teammate, AB de Villiers, reckoned that it was a ‘gut-feel’ move.
“He followed his gut feel. I think he has done a lot for cricket around the world over the years. Luckily, we’ll still see him on the cricket field. He will be missed in Test matches, there is no doubt about it, but he leaves [behind] a great legacy with the red ball,” de Villiers said on Kohli on the sidelines of a NGO Project Mumbai on May 31 (Saturday).
India are in a bit of transition without the likes of Rohit Sharma, Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin, as Shubman Gill was named as the Test skipper for the upcoming five-match series, starting June 20. De Villiers reckoned that it is the right time for the younger guys to step up and leave a mark.
“Yes, it’s time for the younger guys to step up… Shubman Gill taking on the responsibility. There’s lots of talent in India and largely credit to the IPL for that, [it is] really giving great exposure to some of the youngsters at a very early age,” he said.
“We saw Vaibhav Suryavanshi this year [and] many other youngsters, they come in their first year and they look very mature and ready to play cricket and it’s a great platform for Indian cricket,” the South African added.
However, the task won’t be as easy given India haven’t beaten England in England for the longest time, since 2007. The South African reckoned that the talented players would be able to achieve something special.
“They’ve got to take some responsibility on in England, it’ll be a tough test, but they have all the talent in the world, and if they believe, maybe they can achieve something special,” de Villiers concluded.