India vs Pakistan matches are always blockbuster showdowns, and the arch-rivals meet again on Sunday, at the ongoing 2025 Asia Cup. Even after Virat Kohli and Rohit announced their T20I retirements after winning the 2024 World Cup, India haven’t felt their absence, and have found their replacements with ease.
Former India bowler Atul Wassan feels that India have barely felt the absence of Rohit and Kohli, and the huge availability of talent has been a major issue for BCCI selectors.
‘I will not miss Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’
Speaking on CNN-News18, he said, “India’s B team will also beat this Pakistan team because things have changed. When we played in the 90s, they were a very good side. Now the boot is on the other foot. I will not miss Rohit (Sharma) and Virat (Kohli) because then I will start missing Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev also.”
“The king is dead, long live the king. Things move, new superstars come in, and this embarrassment of riches, and I feel sorry for the selectors because to keep everyone in the mix because who’s to drop and who’s to pick.”
Meanwhile, former India spinner Piyush Chawla also had a similar opinion, claiming that the huge availability of talent hasn’t made the post-Kohli and Rohit era a transition.
“If you look at the current Indian team, the number of games that they have won post the Rohit and Kohli era in T20 cricket, they are doing a wonderful job. Somebody like Arshdeep is not getting a chance in the playing XI, being in the top five of world T20 bowlers. I think this team looks really set, and you always miss these kinds of players. But this is the part and parcel of the game. One has to come and then go. We can’t even say that this team is going through a transition period, because if you see all the players in this squad, they have so much experience, and when you play a tournament like the IPL, when the standards are so high,” he said.
“So you know how to handle the pressure. How to hold your nerves in those difficult situations. They have been through all of that, no matter when you are playing for your franchise and when you are playing for your country, because you learn from playing domestic cricket, IPL. You learn all these things from those games. So when it comes to the big stage, they know how to handle those situations. There is enough experience in this dressing room to handle these kinds of situations,” he added.