Gautam Gambhir Evaluates Squad Readiness For England Tour Without Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli: ‘It Will Be Tough, But...'

Gautam Gambhir, the head coach of Team India, has opened up on the void which Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have left after retiring from Tests. Gambhir said that losing out on experienced players would be tough, but there would be players looking for the opportunity to shine against England. The head coach added he encountered a similar query when Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out of the Champions Trophy, but India managed to have a triumphant run in the tournament.

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The Indian Cricket Team received two humongous setbacks after stalwarts, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their retirement from Test Cricket. Rohit led the Indian side, while Kohli was the leading ambassador of the game's longest format.

With the England tour approaching, the BCCI needs to fill the void for their recent losses as they would face a hungry side in red-ball action. Gautam Gambhir expressed his thoughts on the void, saying they there would be someone ready to step up for the challenge.

"We’ve got to be without two senior players to really experience players. And sometimes I believe that it’s the opportunity for some other people to put their hand up and say, 'Okay, I’m ready for it.' So yes, it will be tough, but then there’ll be people putting their hand up for sure.

"This question was asked to me before Champions Trophy as well when Jasprit Bumrah wasn’t there, and I said exactly the same thing: someone missing out might give another person an opportunity to do something special for the country. Hopefully, there’ll be other guys waiting for that opportunity," Gautam Gambhir said to CNN-News18.

Also Read: Sai Sudharsan Set To Receive Maiden Test Callup, Karun Nair To Return In Squad For England Tour: Report

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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is expected to announce the squad for the England tour as soon as tomorrow [Saturday, 23rd May]. Team India's new Test captain will be officially announced, and expect a relatively young squad to be in action against the Three Lions in the away tour.

KL Rahul is expected to be in the opening position alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, while Shubman Gill is the frontrunner to become the new leader, with Jasprit Bumrah also in the race for captaincy. It is yet to be seen who would be named as the face of the side.

Also Read: 'Time For Me To Say Goodbye': Sri Lankan Great Angelo Mathews Bids Farewell To Test Cricket Ahead Of Bangladesh-Sri Lanka Series