India’s younger weapons have the expertise to attain something special within the upcoming England Test collection, supplied they again themselves, mentioned AB de Villiers in Mumbai on Saturday (May 31, 2025), including that it’s time for the brand new era to step up.
With the 25-year-old Shubman Gill on the helm, India will begin a brand new cycle of the World Test Championship with a five-Test tour of England subsequent month with out their seasoned campaigners Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who each introduced their retirement lately.
Also learn: Editorial on Captain’s exit | On Rohit Sharma’s retirement and the Indian cricket team
India may even miss the companies of off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who retired throughout final yr’s tour of Australia, and senior pacer Mohammed Shami, who was not chosen for this tour owing to his lack of health for the traditional format.
“Yes, it’s time for the younger guys to step up… Shubman Gill is taking on the responsibility,” de Villiers informed the media on the sidelines of a NGO Project Mumbai occasion.
Also learn: In photos: Rohit Sharma hangs his boots from Tests
“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 added.
“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,” he mentioned.
The former South African skipper mentioned the tour of England will probably be a tricky check for the younger Indian aspect, however retaining the idea may assist them pull off a beneficial consequence.
“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,” he mentioned. De Villiers, who shares a special bond together with his former Royal Challengers Bengaluru teammate Kohli, mentioned he will probably be missed in Test cricket.
“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 mentioned.
Talking in regards to the Indian Premier League, de Villiers nonetheless backed Punjab Kings, who suffered an eight-wicket thrashing by the hands of RCB in Qualifier 1, to succeed in the ultimate.
PBKS will take on Mumbai Indians in Ahmedabad on Sunday (June 1, 2025) for Qualifier 2.
“I said quite a while ago, about a month ago, that Gujarat (Titans) and RCB will be in the final. It looks like the odds are against my call but it is still cricket, you never know, it is a knockout match,” he mentioned.
“It takes one or two great performances to turn the pressure onto your opposition. It’s still going to be Punjab but I’ve got a little bit of doubt on my mind after watching last night’s game,” mentioned de Villiers, declaring the competition between MI and Gujarat Titans wherein the five-time champion emerged the winner within the high-scoring eliminator.
Published – May 31, 2025 12:12 pm IST
