Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma banned from further mention, Shubman Gill scolded for captaincy greed
Published - 13 Sep 2025, 05:15 PM | Updated - 13 Sep 2025, 05:18 PM
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Legendary Indian cricketer Kapil Dev has delivered a bold message as the Men in Blue are playing the Asia Cup 2025 without two of their biggest superstars, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. After winning the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retired from T20I cricket.
And earlier this year, in May, both Kohli and Rohit retired from Test cricket as well. They are now only active in the ODI cricket and are ready to make a comeback on the Australia tour later this year. However, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s absence is felt at the ongoing Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE.
Kapil Dev says Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s era was brilliant, now time for new stars
Since Rohit and Kohli are huge crowd-pullers, their absence has hurt ticket demand, even for the India versus Pakistan game in the continental tournament. Not just that, the UAE versus India game was played inside an almost empty stadium in Dubai on September 14.
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However, Kapil Dev has made it clear that he is not missing either Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma. The 1983 World Cup-winning captain stressed that their time on the field was incredible, and they gave their best for India. He noted that it is now the new generation’s moment to show their talent.
On missing Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the Asia Cup 2025, Kapil Dev told SportsTak, “I’m not missing anyone. That was their time. They performed really well and played brilliantly for India during their era. Now, a new generation has arrived, and it’s their turn to prove themselves.”
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Playing for India matters more than the captaincy: Kapil Dev
Meanwhile, the legendary Indian all-rounder also shared his views on the captaincy rumors swirling around Shubman Gill possibly replacing Suryakumar Yadav soon as India’s T20I captain. There are speculations that Rohit Sharma will retire on the Australia tour, and Gill will be handed over the ODI captaincy. And the BCCI is keen to make Gill the all-format captain of Team India.
However, Kapil Dev stressed that it doesn’t matter who leads the team, but what truly matters is playing for India, saying wearing the national jersey is the biggest honor. He suggested Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav should avoid the noise and focus on winning games for India.
He further explained, “Very simple, are they playing for India? That's much bigger. You are not representing the captaincy; you are representing the country. That is more important. You see who is the captain and who is not. But I see that they are representing the country.”
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Kapil Dev backs India to lift the Asia Cup 2025
The legendary cricketer has thrown his full support behind the Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian cricket team for the Asia Cup 2025 glory. He believes that the squad is strong, talented, and fully capable of dominating the tournament and lifting the trophy for the record ninth time.
Kapil Dev signed off by saying, “India should do well and come home as champions.”
In their Asia Cup 2025 opener, the Men in Blue crushed the UAE by nine wickets earlier this week, and now they are aiming to upset Pakistan in their next Asia Cup 2025 game on September 14 in Dubai.
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Kapil Dev Asia Cup Virat Kohli Rohit Sharma Suryakumar Yadav Shubman Gill India National Cricket TeamAbout the Author
Rashmi Wasnik is a passionate content writer with over a decade of experience. She started her journ... Read more
