Virat Kohli called for a meeting with Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant and others in London, spoke to them for 2 hours: Report

June 20 will mark the dawn of a new era in Indian Test cricket, with young Shubman Gill leading the side in their first match since the sudden retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The five-match series against England begins at Headingley, Leeds, as India look to rebuild in the UK. Virat Kohli will not feature in the India vs England Test series

While Rohit Sharma’s decision was widely anticipated—especially after he dropped himself for the Sydney Test earlier this year following a four-month slump in red-ball cricket—Virat Kohli’s retirement came as a shock. A legend who has long championed Test cricket as the ultimate format, Kohli’s decision to step away at just 36, and barely a month before the England series, caught most by surprise.

Despite his retirement, Kohli is expected to keep an eye on the proceedings in the England series, which was evident from a report in a RevSportz video claiming that he invited the new Test captain Shubman Gill, his deputy Rishabh Pant and a few others to his residence in London just days before the opener in Leeds. India had an off day on Monday following the conclusion of the intra-squad match in Kent, so the players were available for a meet-up with Kohli.

While the report did not clarify what the meeting was about, with speculations ranging from talks about the upcoming series, to how Gill and Pant could marshal the young troop, it did reveal that the discussion lasted close to two hours.

Three days to series opener

The Indian team is expected to reach Leeds on Tuesday, where head coach Gautam Gambhir will meet the squad. The former India cricketer had left England to return home for a personal reason.

The side will be expected to train in the city over the next two days. RevSportz had also reported on Monday that fast bowler Harshit Rana was asked to stay back in England after the intra-squad match. He was earlier overlooked for the five-match series, having made his debut in Australia, where he played just two matches. Rana was in England with the India A squad, and played just one game against the Lions, where he picked a solitary wicket and scored 16 runs.

Click here to read article