India's Cricket Generation Change: Rohit and Kohli Retire, Gill Takes Over
In 2025, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma both retired from Test cricket, ending a dominant era for Indian cricket. Shubman Gill was appointed India's Test and ODI captain, with Suryakumar Yadav leading T20Is. Here is what changed and why.
May 2025 marked the end of one of the most successful eras in Indian cricket history. Within weeks of each other, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli — the two pillars of India's batting for over a decade — retired from Test cricket. Rohit, who had led India to the 2024 T20 World Cup title and the 2025 Champions Trophy title, stepped down from all international cricket. Kohli announced his Test retirement on 12 May 2025 but continued playing ODI cricket. The BCCI appointed Shubman Gill as India's new Test and ODI captain, with Suryakumar Yadav continuing to lead the T20I side.
Rohit Sharma's Retirement
Rohit Sharma retired from all international cricket in 2025 following his completion of India's back-to-back ICC title wins — the 2024 T20 World Cup (under his captaincy, defeating South Africa in Barbados) and the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy (defeating New Zealand by 4 wickets in the Dubai final). He had already retired from T20 internationals immediately after the 2024 T20 WC final. His decision to step away from Tests and ODIs in 2025 brought down the curtain on a multi-format captaincy career that produced India's first ICC knockout title since 2013. Rohit is one of very few Test batters to successfully reinvent themselves as a Test opener mid-career; his average of 50+ as Test opener far exceeded his earlier middle-order average.
Virat Kohli's Test Retirement
Virat Kohli announced his Test retirement on 12 May 2025, ending a Test career that produced 9,230 runs in 123 matches. His final Test was played in Sydney against Australia in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Kohli had retired from T20 internationals after India's 2024 T20 WC victory in Barbados. He continued to play ODI cricket after his Test retirement — a format in which he holds the world record for most centuries (51 ODI hundreds, extended from his 51st against Pakistan in the CT 2025 group stage). His Test legacy is built on centuries in all nine major Test-playing nations he toured, defining run chases across all formats, and captaincy from 2014-2022 in which India reached multiple WTC Finals.
Shubman Gill: India's New Test and ODI Captain
Shubman Gill (born 8 September 1999, Punjab) was appointed India's Test and ODI captain in 2025. Gill had already established himself as one of Test cricket's most elegant young batters — his front-foot technique, ability to build long innings, and consistency across formats had made him the clear successor. His captaincy appointment at 25 represented a generational shift: where Rohit and Kohli's eras were defined by the 'Fab Four' generation of 2010s-2020s superstars, Gill's era begins with Indian cricket's next cohort. Gill captained India in the 2025-26 season and continued into the ICC cycle leading to the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa.
Suryakumar Yadav: T20I Captain
Suryakumar Yadav had been T20I captain before Rohit's retirement and continued in the role through the new era. His appointment had formalised what was already happening in practice — Suryakumar's 360-degree hitting and extraordinary T20I average (over 45 at a strike rate above 175) made him the ideal leader for the format. Under Suryakumar, India defended the T20 WC title in 2026, with the tournament hosted in India. The division of T20I captaincy from Tests/ODIs — with Gill and Suryakumar holding separate roles — reflects modern India's workload management approach.
Frequently asked questions
Why did Rohit Sharma retire from Test cricket in 2025?
Rohit Sharma retired from all international cricket in 2025 after completing India's consecutive ICC title wins (2024 T20 WC and 2025 Champions Trophy). He had already retired from T20Is after the 2024 T20 WC. His retirement from Tests and ODIs followed a period of declining form in Test cricket and represented a planned succession after delivering India's major ICC trophies.
Who became India's Test captain after Rohit Sharma?
Shubman Gill was appointed India's Test and ODI captain in 2025 following Rohit Sharma's retirement. Suryakumar Yadav continued as India's T20I captain.
How many Test runs did Virat Kohli score?
Virat Kohli scored 9,230 runs in 123 Test matches, with 30 Test centuries. His Test retirement was announced on 12 May 2025; his final Test was in Sydney during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. He continued playing ODI cricket after retiring from Tests.
When did Kohli retire from T20 internationals?
Virat Kohli retired from T20 internationals in June 2024 following India's T20 World Cup victory in Barbados against South Africa. His 76 from 59 balls in the final was one of his most celebrated T20I innings, and he chose that moment to end his T20I career after India broke their 11-year ICC title drought.