Leeds, June 19: With Team India set to take on England in the much-anticipated five-match Test series away from home starting on Friday, India wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul feels that not having the two legends Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the dressing room will be a miss but added that it’s an opportunity for the youngsters to take the baton forward.

Both Rohit and Kohli announced their retirements from Test cricket in May, leaving India with a big void to fill in the longer format at opening and number four positions respectively. Kohli, 36, scored 9,230 runs in 123 Tests and was at fourth place in India's all-time list of run-scorers in the longer format.

"Virat and Rohit have been the pillars of Indian cricket for the last decade or so, and not having them around will be a huge miss. In my whole career so far, I have never walked into a team where there is no Virat or Rohit.

"The 50-odd Test matches that I have played, either Virat or Rohit or both of them have been there. To walk into that dressing room feels a bit strange. But of course, you have to respect their decision.

"They have given absolutely everything for the country and they will remain legends of Indian cricket. But it’s time for the rest of us to step up,” Rahul told Delhi Capitals media team.

Rahul also put his weight behind his teammate Karun Nair, who is making a comeback to the Indian team after a gap of eight years and lauded him for his efforts.

Nair has been in phenomenal form and struck a double ton against the England Lions in the first unofficial Test at Canterbury. In the recently concluded IPL 2025 season, he played eight matches for Delhi Capitals and amassed 198 runs, including a half-century.

The 33-year-old made his Test debut against England in Mohali in 2016 and he went on to hit an unbeaten 303 in his third Test in Chennai and grabbed eyeballs. However, after that historic knock, he only played three home Tests against Australia in 2017 before being dropped from the team due to a series of low scores.

Rahul, who had a stellar IPL season with the bat for the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025, recalled the days when he and Nair started their journey together as 11-year-old boys.

"We started playing cricket as 11-year-old boys together and we have been on this journey ever since. Both of us have had our ups and downs. He got his opportunity, scored a triple hundred, faced a bit of tough time after that for a lot of reasons. But what has stood out is the way he has performed in the last 2-3 years,” Rahul said.

“It’s been great to see how he has gone back to basics. We have spoken about his time in the UK and him having played County cricket, and the difficulties and the challenges that he faced. To have that drive to make a comeback to the Indian team despite all the hardships is commendable. I hope both of us can play for a very long time for the Indian team,” he added.

Talking about his own preparations, the wicketkeeper-batter said, “I started with my preparations for the England series right after the IPL. I spoke to my coach as well to get prepared for this assignment. It’s always a challenge coming to England as they are a pretty good side, especially when they play at home. It’s going to be a challenge for all of us as we are a comparatively young team.”

The first Test between India and England will be played at Headingley, Leeds, which will mark the beginning of the 2025/26 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle for both nations.(IANS)

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