Never walked into a team where there is no Virat or Rohit: KL Rahul

The absence of stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma—both of whom stepped away from Test cricket last month, has put the onus on KL Rahul as the senior-most batter in the new-look Test side under Shubman Gill, that begins its journey with a crucial five-Test series against England, starting at Leeds on Friday.

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Rahul, who is likely to partner Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top of the order after Rohit's retirement, feels that not having the two legends in the dressing room will be a miss but added that it's an opportunity for the youngsters to take the baton forward.

Kohli, 36, scored 9,230 runs in 123 Tests and was at fourth place in India's all-time list of run-scorers in the longer format.

"Virat and Rohit have been the pillars of Indian cricket for the last decade or so, and not having them around will be a huge miss. In my whole career so far, I have never walked into a team where there is no Virat or Rohit. "The 50-odd Test matches that I have played, either Virat or Rohit or both of them have been there. To walk into that dressing room feels a bit strange. But of course, you have to respect their decision.