New Delhi: Virat Kohli arguably the biggest name in Indian cricket today brought down the curtain on his Test career on Monday announcing his retirement from the longest format. The 36-year-old’s decision comes close on the heels of Rohit Sharma also stepping away from red-ball cricket. Both veterans had a tough time during the recent tour of Australia where India suffered a 1-3 series defeat. Runs were hard to come by and since the tour ended there had been growing talk within the cricketing circles that the team management might be ready to turn the page and bring in fresh faces for the upcoming five-Test series against England. According to a report by news agency PTI India head coach Gautam Gambhir was keen on bringing in fresh faces for the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle starting with the upcoming five-match series against England. With that vision in mind the underwhelming tour of Australia turned out to be the final chapter for both Rohit and Virat in the Test arena. Under Gautam Gambhir’s leadership India faced back-to-back series defeats—first at home against New Zealand and then away in Australia. The twin setbacks proved costly as for the first time India failed to qualify for the World Test Championship final. With the exits of Rohit Sharma Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin from Test cricket the Indian dressing room is seeing a major shift. The era of big-name superstars is winding down and it’s creating space for head coach Gautam Gambhir to assert his authority more than any India coach has in recent memory. According to the same PTI report Gambhir’s key mission is to break the star culture that has long defined Indian cricket—and this transition may be his moment to reshape the team in that image. Gautam Gambhir has also found strong backing in Ajit Agarkar the chairman of selectors. Both agreed that it was time to bring in fresh faces for the England series and begin a new chapter for India in the upcoming World Test Championship cycle. Their shared vision signals a clear shift towards building a younger hungrier Test squad for the future. The Gautam Gambhir era begins now. He was categorical that during the next WTC cycle India need to have fresh faces PTI quoted a BCCI source as saying. Everyone associated with decision-making knew where Gambhir stood in terms of carrying seniors in the longest format. Obviously his and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkars thoughts aligned the source added. Shubman Gill has emerged as the frontrunner to take over as India’s next Test captain. While Jasprit Bumrah did step in as skipper during Rohit Sharma’s absence in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy his heavy workload and ongoing fitness management make it unlikely that he’ll be handed the role full-time. The selectors seem to be leaning toward a younger more sustainable leadership option and Gill fits that bill perfectly. The report also mentions that Gautam Gambhir had urged the Indian cricket board to fully empower him aiming to avoid repeats of disappointing campaigns like the home series loss to New Zealand and the Border-Gavaskar defeat in Australia. He’s determined to bring clarity and control to the team’s direction as India enters a new era of Test cricket. However turning vision into results is never easy. The real test for Gambhir begins now. If the upcoming series against England doesn’t go India’s way the pressure will mount quickly and questions will inevitably surface about the former opener’s ability to steer the Test side through this transitional phase. This series could very well be a make-or-break moment for Gautam Gambhir as India’s red-ball coach. With a squad likely packed with fresh faces the spotlight will be on how effectively he can guide this new-look team. All eyes will be on who steps up to fill the massive shoes left by Rohit and Kohli in the playing XI and whether Gambhir can shape the next generation into consistent match-winners.