For the first time since 2011, a Test team to England will not have either Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma in it. Both of these senior batters retired from the conventional form of the game last month, leaving the BCCI selectors with no choice but to select a new-look Indian team, with Shubman Gill as the skipper. Yet, their absence was palpable even as the Indian team arrived in London on Saturday, with no crowd or journalists at the airport.
Magnetic Pull of Virat Kohli: A Stark Contrast to the Present
From the airport to the practice ground, Adelaide had swarmed with fans and media when Kohli arrived with the Indian team for the tour of Australia in November last year. The 36-year-old, thought to be playing his last Test series in Australia, had made headlines even before the battle began. So intense was the hype that Indian team management had to organize a closed-door practice session, compelling spectators to jump over trees in order to steal a glance of the superstar.
No Buzz in London: Gill-Led Side Receives Quiet Welcome
But none was seen on Saturday in London after the Gill-led side landed for the five-match Test series, starting June 20. In a video that went viral on social media, Indian journalist Vimal Kumar said, “I did not get to see that hype. Not a single fan or media personnel was seen.”
While there were not many fans who believed the aura of Test cricket was lost with Kohli and Rohit retiring, some thought it was the “demise of Indian Test cricket.” But a few believed that the aura would be back with Gill making his bat do the talking.
Gill’s Response to the Kohli-Rohit Pressure Question
0 fans at the Airport for Indian Team
Aura of captain Gill. pic.twitter.com/uSMSCZmuvc— jaiswalhype (@jaiswalhype19) June 7, 2025
The first question that Gill was questioned at the Mumbai press conference earlier this week prior to flying out to London, was the absence of Kohli and Rohit, and how it would put pressure on the young team. But the captain firmly brushed it aside by stating it was no different from any difficult situation they had encountered before.
“Pressure is always present in every tour. Certainly, two very experienced players who played for so long and won so many times, very hard to replace their space. But it’s not another type of pressure, all of us players are accustomed to it,” he mentioned during the pre-tour presser on Wednesday.
