Former England spinner Monty Panesar believes that Virat Kohli’s absence will not affect India in limited overs cricket. However, his absence has been greatly felt in the red ball formats since the England tour.
In his recent conversation with ANI, Monty Panesar made some shocking comments on Indian cricket and players. After India’s poor performance in Test cricket, Shubman Gill was the main target while Gautam Gambhir also could not escape the radar, that too in 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 will not be missing Virat Kohli as much in white-ball cricket as it is already missing in red-ball cricket. Earlier, when great players of the format retired, the next generation was ready to take over the reins, but that was not the case this time, when three of the greats of Test cricket retired for India at the same time.
“In the white-ball format, you won’t miss Virat Kohli that much. But yes, in Test cricket, it is clear that Virat Kohli is not there, and the intensity of the team is less,” Panesar said.
Monty Panesar said, “Indian players are not ready for Test cricket. In India, players who perform well in T20 and ODI do not perform well in Test cricket.” He believes that Indian youth are too mature and inexperienced for 5-day competitions.
“The difference between the Ranji Trophy and India’s Test teams is significant” – Monty Panesar
The England spinner also highlighted that Indian youngsters are not focusing on Test cricket as they want to make money by playing in domestic T20s and earning IPL contracts. Test cricket does not appeal to young cricketers because it requires a lot of hard work.
“There is a lot of difference between the Ranji Trophy and India’s Test team. 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 T20Is and ODIs. 4-day cricket requires a lot of hard work. So 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 Ranji Trophy domestic cricket is very weak. It will take some time for India to make a comeback in Test cricket,” he said.
Virat Kohli’s Test legacy is huge for Shubman Gill
Virat Kohli will always be remembered as one of India’s greatest Test captains. Under the Delhi cricketer’s reign, India topped the ICC Test rankings as he transformed India into a dominant force in world red-ball cricket.
Talking about his statistics as captain of India, he captained India in 68 matches and led them to 40 Test victories. This is a commendable win percentage compared to many successful Test captains in the world and India’s highest win percentage.
Under Kohli’s leadership, India won their first Test series in Australia, created an unbeaten home series record and qualified for the WTC final in 2021. He portrayed the true image of a formidable Test captain full of aggression and intensity.
Virat Kohli might be too excited for anyone to take up his legacy, but for Shubman Gill, it seems more difficult, as the batsman lacks the natural aggression and intensity of the former Indian captain.
Also read: T20 World Cup panic!! Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya out….
