Former England spinner Monty Panesar believes that India would not be affected by Virat Kohli’s absence in limited-overs cricket. However, his absence has been significantly felt in the red-ball format ever since the tour to England.
In his recent conversation with ANI, Monty Panesar made some startling remarks on Indian cricket and players. Shubman Gill was the prime target, while Gautam Gambhir also could not escape the radar, following India’s horrible run in Test cricket, that too under home conditions.
“In white-ball format, you won’t miss Virat Kohli that much” – Monty Panesar
Former England spinner Monty Panesar feels that the Indian team might not be missing Virat Kohli as much in white-ball cricket as it does in red-ball cricket already. Previously, when the greats of the format retired, the next generation was ready to take up the reins, but that was not the case this time, when the three greats of Test cricket retired at the same time for India.
“In white-ball format, you won’t miss Virat Kohli that much. But yes, in Test Cricket, it’s evident that Virat Kohli is not there, and the team’s intensity is lower,” opined Panesar.
“Indian players are not ready for Test Cricket. In India, players who perform well in T20 and ODI don’t perform well in Test Cricket,” said Monty Panesar, who believes Indian youngsters are too ripe and inexperienced for 5-day contests.
“The gap between Ranji Trophy and India’s Test team is significant” – Monty Panesar
The England spinner also highlighted that Indian youngsters are not focused on Test cricket since they want to make money by playing in domestic T20s and earning IPL contracts. Test cricket doesn’t appeal to young cricketers, as it takes a lot of hard work.
“The gap between Ranji Trophy and India’s Test team is significant. The Ranji Trophy system is also very weak. The boys just want to play in the IPL. They want to get a big contract. They want to play in T20I and ODI. It takes a lot of hard work in 4-day cricket. That’s why they want to give less time.”
“They make more money in T20 cricket. They make less money in Test Cricket. But the reality is that the domestic cricket of the Ranji Trophy is very weak. It will take some time for India to make a comeback in Test cricket,” he added.
Virat Kohli’s Test legacy is too huge for Shubman Gill
Virat Kohli shall always be remembered as one of the greatest Test captains from India. Under the Delhi cricketer’s reign, India secured the top spot in the ICC Test Rankings, as he turned India into a dominant force in world red-ball cricket.
Speaking of his stats as India’s captain, he captained India in 68 matches and led them to 40 Test wins. This is a commendable win percentage over many successful Test captains in the world, and the highest number of wins for India.
Under Kohli, India won their first-ever Test series in Australia, crafted an invincible home series record, and qualified for the WTC Finals in 2021. He portrayed the true image of a formidable Test skipper, infused with aggression and intensity.
Virat Kohli might be too goated for anyone to take over his legacy, but for Shubman Gill, it seems much more difficult, as the batter lacks the natural aggression and intensity of the former Indian skipper.
ALSO READ: T20 World Cup panic!! Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya RULED OUT of….
