The conversation around India’s changing cricket landscape has once again brought the spotlight onto Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, but former India opener Virender Sehwag does not believe their departures from Test cricket have reduced the game’s appeal among fans. In an interaction with News18, he drew comparisons with previous generations that witnessed the retirements of icons such as Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar. Because of individual superstars, sehwag pointed to the history of Indian cricket while discussing the argument that supporters follow the sport primarily.
‘So, to say that if this player retires, we won’t watch cricket anymore, maybe some of their fans won’t. ‘Log kehte zaroor hain, unke fans kehte hain ki hum Virat Kohli ke liye cricket dekhte hain ya Rohit Sharma ke liye dekhte hain. Par aisa toh Sunil Gavaskar ke liye bhi kaha jata tha, Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar ke liye bhi kaha jata tha (People do say that they watch cricket just for Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma. Sehwag also recalled hearing similar reactions from supporters after his own playing career came to an end. I have also heard people say, ‘You stopped playing, so we stopped watching,’ but that’s not really the case. They probably still watch a little bit. Sehwag then reinforced his argument with a statement in Hindi, suggesting that cricket’s existence cannot depend entirely on the careers of its biggest names. The transition has already seen Shubman Gill take over the Test captaincy. Gill remains India’s Test captain while also leading the ODI side. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are also included in the ODI squad.
BCCI named Gill captain for the 18 member squad for the 2025 England Test series, with Rishabh Pant as his deputy. BCCI’s latest squad announcement for the 2026 home series against West Indies lists him as captain, with KL Rahul as vice captain.
But the same thing used to be said for Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar),’ Sehwag said. Some fans had told him that they had stopped following cricket after he retired, according to the former opener. He said such claims should not necessarily be taken literally, arguing that the connection between supporters and the sport is bigger than any one cricketer.
