Former Indian cricket team spinner R Ashwin believes that the absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will cause a major ‘leadership vacuum’ in the upcoming Test series against England. Virat announced his retirement from Test cricket on Monday – just days after a similar decision by Rohit. As a result, the BCCI selectors now have the responsibility of picking the next Indian cricket team skipper. During the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, Jasprit Bumrah captained the side in absence of Rohit. While some media reports claimed that Shubman Gill is a top contender for the job, Ashwin believes that Bumrah deserves the captaincy but ultimately left the decision with the selectors.

“I didn’t have an idea both [Rohit and Kohli] would retire together,” Ashwin said on his YouTube show ‘Ash Ki Baat’. “This will be a testing time for Indian cricket, and I’ll say this is truly now the beginning of the Gautam Gambhir era.”

“The team that will tour England will be a completely new team, a transformed team where Bumrah will probably be the senior-most player. He is obviously one of the captaincy options; I think he deserves the captaincy, but the selectors will take a decision based on his physical capacity.”

Reflecting on Rohit and Virat’s decision to retire, Ashwin felt the duo still had enough left in their tank to offer more to Indian cricket. He believes that when India lines up to face England in the five high-stakes Tests from June 20 in Headingley, the inexperienced touring party will miss Virat’s energy and Rohit’s composure.

“Their retirements will definitely create a leadership vacuum. You can’t buy experience, especially on tours like this. Virat’s energy and Rohit’s composure will be missed,” he said.

“Tests has been the finest [format for India] in the last 10-12 years, but just for the sake of leadership, Rohit should’ve played till the England series, and if he’d performed, he could’ve carried on and given some more leadership.”

(With ANI inputs)