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After Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Former Englander claims India is left with a Single ‘Match-winning’ batter! His name is…
After Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's retirement from Test cricket, former Englander believes Indian team is left with only one 'match-winner' in the format.
Last Updated on - September 7, 2025 7:18 AM IST
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were two superstar batters for the Indian team in the Test format. The duo announced their retirement from the format right before the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy (2025). Kohli scored9230 runs in red-ball cricket and Rohit had scored 4301 runs in the longest format of the game.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retiring from the Test format was a massive shock to the entire world cricket, as their announcements came when no one was expecting them do take that decision. However, after their retirement, capable players got named in their place, and are playing their proper roles in their designated numbers.
Now, former England wicketkeeper Ronald Butcher believes Indian team is going to miss the presence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. The Indian management trusted Shubman Gill to be Rohit’s successor as Test captain, Ronald believes there is only one match winning batter left in the team.
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Though Shubman Gill is a strong player to be given the captain’s role, which he also proved by scoring a heap load of runs in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, Ronald Butcher does not see him as a specific match winner for the team. Ronald has a strong belief that the only player who truly leads the team to victories in the format is Rishabh Pant.
“I think the Indian team is going to miss both of those players because Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were match winners. You know, they can turn a game by themselves. I think India, at the moment, has a very good side, but the team will not be as good without those two players. The players who have replaced them are very good players. They can score plenty of runs, but they will score runs over a longer period, which means that they don’t get themselves in the winning position that quickly,” Butcher told while speaking exclusively to ANI.
“So, I think the next couple of years are going to be a transformation for India. They need to find some match-winning batters. The only match-winner, really, in the team at the moment is Rishabh Pant. So, Sharma and Kohli’s absence from the team is going to be a huge loss for the team. I don’t think that, at the moment, any of the replacements are better than those two because, over the years, their track record has proved that they have been two of the best in the world,” he added.