India's show of bench strength eases transition concerns

India's young players shine in test series against England, easing concerns about post-Kohli and Sharma era.

India may not be contemplating life after Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli just yet but the robust display of their fringe players against England will have eased any fears about how they will cope when the old guard steps aside.

Kohli, 35, is not playing in the five-test series due to personal reasons, leaving Rohit, a year older, to juggle the captaincy with the burden of leading India's batting.

With Shreyas Iyer, 29, struggling to meet the demands of test cricket and 31-year-old K.L. Rahul battling fitness issues, India have been left wondering how to plug the gaping hole in the middle order.

Behind the stumps, India have also been searching for someone to replace the neat glovework and uninhibited hitting of Rishabh Pant, who remains out of action since a horrific car accident in 2022.

But three matches into the series against England and most of these concerns appears to have been addressed.

Seven months after Yashasvi Jaiswal burst onto the scene by hitting 171 in his debut test in West Indies, the opener struck back-to-back double hundreds against England.

The 22-year-old smashed a record-equalling 12 sixes in his unbeaten 214 in the third test in Rajkot which prompted comparisons with former India opener Virender Sehwag, who was famed for his take-no-prisoners batting.