India will begin their post-Virat Kohli era when they take on England in a five-match Test series.
Former England spinner Monty Panesar believes that young Sai Sudharsan has everything it takes to fill into the shoes of Virat Kohli, who announced his retirement from Tests in May.
Team India will begin a new era under new Test captain Shubman Gill when they take on England in a five-match Test series in England starting from June 20. This will be India’s first Test series since the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in May. Sai Sudharsan, who has played three ODIs and one T20I, is in line to make his Test debut against England.
“That’s the one thing I would like this Indian team to do is carry on the legacy of Virat Kohli. The way he played Test cricket, I would like the young Indian team play like that,” Monty Panesar told InsideSport during an interview.
When asked about who could be the next Virat Kohli, the former Sussex and Essex cricketer picked out Sai Sudharsan’s name. The 23-year-old, who represents Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket, has played 29 First-Class matches. He has aggregated 1957 runs at an average of 39.93 and has registered five half-centuries along with seven centuries.
In the 2024 County Championship Division One competition last year, Sai Sudharsan aggregated 165 runs from five innings at an average of 33. This also included a century against Nottinghamshire in Nottingham. Sai Sudharsan scored 105 runs from 178 balls in the first innings of that match, hitting 10 fours and one six.
“Yeah, there’s some really good youngsters in the team and one particular batsman is a Surrey player. He played for Surrey as an overseas player, Sai Sudharsan.”
“He looks very aggressive, he looks fearless, he is a player who has done well in English conditions and he has done for Surrey, so I think he could be the next superstar of Indian cricket and take on that role what Virat Kohli did at number four,” added the 43-year-old.
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The first Test between England and India will be held at Headingley, Leeds from June 20. he upcoming Test series will mark the start of the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle for both England and India.
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