Young Indian team capable of achieving something special on England tour if it believes: de Villiers

The Hindu

a day ago

India's young guns have the talent to achieve something special in the upcoming England Test series, provided they back themselves, said AB de Villiers in Mumbai on Saturday (May 31, 2025), adding that it's time for the new generation to step up.
With the 25-year-old Shubman Gill at the helm, India will start a new cycle of the World Test Championship with a five-Test tour of England next month without their seasoned campaigners Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who both announced their retirement recently.
Also read: Editorial on Captain's exit | On Rohit Sharma's retirement and the Indian cricket team
India will also miss the services of off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who retired during last year's tour of Australia, and senior pacer Mohammed Shami, who was not selected for this tour owing to his lack of fitness for the conventional format.
'Yes, it's time for the younger guys to step up... Shubman Gill is taking on the responsibility,' de Villiers told the media on the sidelines of a NGO Project Mumbai event.
Also read: In pictures: Rohit Sharma hangs his boots from Tests
'There's lots of talent in India and largely credit to the IPL for that; (it is) really giving great exposure to some of the youngsters at a very early age,' he added.
'We saw Vaibhav Suryavanshi this year (and) many other youngsters; they come in their first year and they look very mature and ready to play cricket and it's a great platform for Indian cricket,' he said.
The former South African skipper said the tour of England will be a tough test for the young Indian side, but keeping the belief could help them pull off a favourable result.
'They've got to take some responsibility on in England; it'll be a tough test, but they have all the talent in the world and if they believe, maybe they can achieve something special,' he said. De Villiers, who shares a special bond with his former Royal Challengers Bengaluru teammate Kohli, said he will be missed in Test cricket.
'He followed his gut feel. I think he has done a lot for cricket around the world over the years. Luckily, we'll still see him on the cricket field. He will be missed in Test matches; there is no doubt about it, but he leaves (behind) a great legacy with the red ball,' de Villiers said.
Talking about the Indian Premier League, de Villiers still backed Punjab Kings, who suffered an eight-wicket thrashing at the hands of RCB in Qualifier 1, to reach the final.
PBKS will take on Mumbai Indians in Ahmedabad on Sunday (June 1, 2025) for Qualifier 2.
'I said quite a while ago, about a month ago, that Gujarat (Titans) and RCB will be in the final. It looks like the odds are against my call but it is still cricket, you never know, it is a knockout match,' he said.
'It takes one or two great performances to turn the pressure onto your opposition. It's still going to be Punjab but I've got a little bit of doubt on my mind after watching last night's game,' said de Villiers, pointing out the contest between MI and Gujarat Titans in which the five-time champion emerged the winner in the high-scoring eliminator.