Rohit, Kohli’s Exit Under Gautam Gambhir Compared With Sachin-Dravid’s Exit

The most influential person in India's establishment right now is head coach Gautam Gambhir, as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have both retired from Test cricket. Now is the moment to carry out his ideas and support emerging talent. Change will be the only constant. Generational transition has long been a concern for the Indian Test team.

Three years ago, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane lost their positions, which sparked whispers of change.

Massive changes in Indian cricket

The appointment of Gautam Gambhir as head coach last year was seen as a progressive step intended to bring in new talent and change things up.

Under such circumstances, the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma can be seen as a necessary step in the process that the management and selection committee had in mind for the squad.

Investing extensively in gifted young people who can eventually form the nucleus of the Test team appears to be the only viable course of action. It is not necessary to evaluate the returns right away.

Gautam Gambhir becomes the main man in the Indian set-up after Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s Test retirements

When Gautam Gambhir was named the Indian head coach, many expected big things from him as he was following two very successful people at the helm in Ravi Shastri and Rahul Dravid. Under Shastri and Kohli, India became a force to reckon with in Tests, while the Rohit-Dravid era made India formidable in limited overs.

Post- Gautam Gambhir takeover, India has won the ICC Champions Trophy, but lost a Test series at home after 12 years, got whitewashed in Tests at home after more than 40 years, and surrendered the BGT to Australia after a decade.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s poor form didn’t help them as well, and ultimately, with the Indian team embarking on a new World Test Championship cycle (WTC 2027), the BCCI selectors wanted to go forward with fresh faces.

Gambhir also wanted to get rid of the superstar culture in the Indian dressing room, and Rohit and Virat were the only big names other than him in the setup. Rohit was clearly told that he was not going to England for Tests, and Kohli was denied a chance at Test captaincy again, resulting in both announcing their Test retirements.

Rohit-Kohli’s exit under Gambhir compared to Sachin, Sehwag's departure under MS Dhoni

Concerns were similar when VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid announced their retirements when MS Dhoni was captain and Sachin Tendulkar retired in 2013. After a good three years of transition, India emerged as a dominant force in Test cricket under Kohli's tutelage.

“Gambhir came in with a mandate to carry out a prompt transition. It’s about backing resources and finding the core in both batting and bowling. It’s similar to 2013. Dhoni was critical, backed players irrespective of losses—Pujara, Kohli, Rahane, Shikhar, Shami, Umesh, Ishant,” TOI’s Arani Basu stated.

Gambhir came in with a mandate to carry out a prompt transition.
It’s about backing resources and finding the core in both batting and bowling.
It’s similar to 2013. Dhoni was critical, backed players irrespective of losses—Pujara, Kohli, Rahane, Shikhar, shami, Umesh, Ishant https://t.co/xpcRs5aUHw

— Arani Basu (@AraniBasuTOI) May 14, 2025

It remains to be seen how Gautam Gambhir shapes the next generation of the Indian Test team, which has dominated worldwide in the last 15 years.