When Chief Selector Pragyan Ojha Named Virat Kohli And Rohit Sharma’s Successors For India

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma [Source: AFP]

India batters Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal received massive praise from newly appointed chairman of the BCCI’s selection committee, Pragyan Ojha, even before the veteran became the BCCI chief selector.

Ojha, who officially acquired the full-time position as BCCI chair on Monday, earlier, spoke about how India will be transitioning in the absence of stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

The World Cup 2027 is reportedly set to be the final goodbye from the India legends. Ahead of the endgame, Pragyan Ojha spoke his heart out on how he feels about other Indian cricketers who can take the place of Kohli and Rohit in Test cricket too.

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Pragyan Ojha compared Pant and Jaiswal to Rohit and Kohli

Ojha had entrusted his complete faith in both Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Both red-ball cricketers have recently been permanent cogs in the playing XI of the Indian team, and after Rohit Sharma and Kohli’s retirement from Tests and T20Is in 2025, the gap left has been superficially filled by the duo.

Doubling down on those thoughts, the newly appointed BCCI chair was expressive of the calibre of Jaiswal and Pant while also naming the challenges a Test batter faces.

“Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal can fill Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s boots for Indian cricket. I believe that as you grow in Test cricket, your overall game improves with maturity. Test cricket presents a lot of challenges, and it helps you develop a better understanding,” Pragyan Ojha had said.

Notably, both Jaiswal and Pant have played their last Test matches for India during the India vs Sri Lanka Test series in August 2026.

How have Pant and Jaiswal performed recently in Test cricket?

Yashasvi Jaiswal has 2,612 runs from the 31 Test matches he has played for India, while boasting a solid average of 47.49. Although his average dropped to 25.25 in 2026, it is also notable to mention that he played only three Tests this year, while in 2025, as an opener, he performed in 10 Test matches, scoring 745 runs and having three centuries and three half-centuries to his name.

Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant, on the other hand, has 3,725 runs from 52 Test matches at an average of 43.82. Playing mostly in the middle order, Rishabh Pant has averaged his second-best year in Test cricket in 2026, scoring 249 runs at an average of 62.25.

Although the 2025 season was on the moderate side for the wicketkeeper-batter, the veteran is known for his attacking and unorthodox approach against dangerous world-class bowlers, which makes him an efficient fielder as a senior batter in place of names like Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli.