Shubman Gill, India's new Test captain, stated that although it would be difficult for the team to cover the huge voids left by Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, they are confident they can perform well in the forthcoming five-match Test series in England because they have enough firepower in the squad.

Last month, only a few days apart, Rohit and Kohli announced their retirements from Test cricket, leaving a huge void for a youthful Indian squad.

The team has enough experience with players like KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and Jasprit Bumrah, but the draw that Rohit and Kohli had will undoubtedly be missed.

“Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are experienced players, and they have won us many games. It is always difficult to fill their space, but the team’s combination has a good mix of talent and experience. This doesn’t call for extra pressure because we as a team are always ready to handle pressure and know how to win from such situations," Gill said while speaking at the pre-departure press conference.

The star Indian batter is expected to bat at No. 3 for India with Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul opening the innings, but a lot of eyes will be on Gill. It would not be an easy feat to lead India in England, especially in his maiden Test series as captain, but Gill stated that he is ready for the challenge.

 "When I came to know, there was an opportunity to captain the Test team, it was overwhelming. Having said that, it's a big responsibility. Looking forward to this great challenge that will be presented to us," Shubman Gill said.

India's batting order has been the subject of intense discussion since Virat Kohli’s retirement. Gill made a suggestion that, following India's Intra-Squad match, which begins on June 13, the team management will decide on the batting order. 

"We haven't really decided on the...we still have some time. We will be playing an intra-squad match, and we will be having a 10-day camp in London, so we still have a little bit of time. I think we can decide on the batting order once we go there," he said.

India and England will play the first Test of the five-match series in Leeds from June 20.

(PTI inputs)