Watch- Indian fans protest against Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma's retirements in England

Virat Kohli has been one of the biggest crowd pullers in Indian cricket history, and its impact was clearly shown, at least, on foreign soil after the dashing right-hander called time on his Test career. The India National Cricket Team has reached England without Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

For the first time in 13 years, the Indian team landed in England without the modern-era legends. Both Kohli and Rohit recently retired from Test cricket, and they have left behind a big gap, not just in the team but also in the hype and excitement surrounding the India National Cricket Team.

India National Cricket Team gets lukewarm reception in England

As Shubman Gill led the Indian side that landed in London on Saturday, June 7, for the five-match Test series starting June 20, the scene at the airport was just shocking. There were no fans or media waiting to welcome or cheer the young Indian team.

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It was a quiet and just normal arrival, which rarely happens with the Indian cricket team. It was completely different from last year when India visited Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. When Virat Kohli landed in Adelaide, a huge crowd turned up at the airport to catch glimpses of him and the team. Even there were so many personnel for interviews.

There was so much attention that the Indian team had to hold private training sessions. Some fans even climbed trees near the practice ground to watch. That kind of energy and excitement was clearly missing this time in London when Shubman Gill and his team landed for the Test series.

No single fan to welcome the Indian team in London!!

A video shared by journalist Vimal Kumar on social media is going viral, showing the empty arrival area. Vimal Kumar can be heard saying in the video, “I did not get to see that hype. Not a single fan or media person was seen.”

This surprised many fans, with some expressing their sadness on social media, saying the magic of Test cricket is gone with Kohli’s retirement. Some feared it was the "downfall of Indian Test cricket," while few felt that aura would return once the young team turned up the heat in England.

No kohli no hype , I am here for long time to witness the downfall of indian Test cricket.

Empty airports , stadiums ...get used to it .

— Raj 🐺 (@the__choosenone) June 7, 2025

When BCCI announced Captain is Gill the Test Aura gone there itself

— Srikar Rebel (@SrikarRebel8) June 7, 2025

No King Kohli, no hype.

— Sports syncs (@moiz_sports) June 7, 2025

😭😭 aur banao test captain with 14 Avg in England

— 🌠 (@pardik_handya) June 7, 2025

Shubman Gill shares how he felt when he was named India's Test captain

Meanwhile, Shubman Gill recently shared how he felt when he was named Test captain, saying it was a special moment but also one that came with big responsibility.

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Gill also revealed that the team hasn’t yet decided where he will bat in the lineup. With Rohit Sharma now retired from Test cricket, there’s a gap at the top of the order, and the team needs to decide whether Gill will open or bat lower down.

He stated before leaving for England, “Firstly, when I came to know that I would get an opportunity like this, at the beginning, it was very overwhelming. It was quite overwhelming with the whole experience. But having said that, I think it is a big responsibility.

And looking forward, there is a great chance that we will be presented first. And we haven't really decided on the (batting) position yet. We still have some time, we have a spot match in London. So, we still have time to decide on the batting order.”