The Shubman Gill-led India National Cricket Team officially took flight on Friday (June 6) from Mumbai Airport for their crucial Test tour of England. This much-awaited Test tour marks a new beginning for Indian cricket. With Rohit Sharma retiring from Test cricket, Shubman Gill will not lead the Test team, and ever-energetic Rishabh Pant will be his deputy.
The upcoming five-match Test series between India and England will mark the start of the new ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle. This is a big moment for Team India as Gill takes charge of the young team after Rohit Sharma’s retirement from Test cricket.
Shubman Gill era begins as the India National Cricket Team fly to England for the Test series
Rishabh Pant was named India’s vice-captain ahead of the England tour after Rohit and Virat Kohli called time on their Test careers. This series will take place from June 20 across England’s famous venues, including Leeds, Edgbaston, Lord’s, The Oval, and Old Trafford.
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However, Rishabh Pant has already made the headlines even before reaching England for the Test series, thanks to his signature humor. As the India National Cricket Team arrived at the Mumbai airport for their flight to England, fans and paparazzi gathered to catch a glimpse of the players.
With Rohit Sharma missing from the camp following his retirement from Test cricket, someone asked Pant from a distance, “Where is Rohit Sharma?” The left-handed batter, who never misses a chance to crack a joke, gave a witty reply that had everyone laughing.
In his style, the Indian wicketkeeper-batter dropped a hilarious response, giving a reference to Rohit’s famous dialogue. Without missing a beat, Pant replied with a cheeky grin, “Garden mein ghoom rahe hai” (He’s roaming in the garden), cheekily referencing one of Rohit’s iconic on-field stump mic comments during the Vizag Test between India and England last year.
Pant’s witty reply had all the camerapersons bursting into laughter. When someone asked if he would miss Rohit, Pant smiled and said, “Unke Garden ki yaad to aayegi (We will miss his garden).” His response reminded one and all of Rohit’s famous “koi garden mein ghoomta hua nahi dikhna chahiye” remark, and now the clip has gone viral across social media platforms.
Question – where is Rohit Sharma?
Rishabh Pant – Rohit bhai Garden mein ghum rahe hain, unke Garden ki yaad to aayegi (He’s enjoying in the Garden, will miss his Garden).
pic.twitter.com/a5x4tlAeYq
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) June 6, 2025
After winning that Test series against England at home, Rohit posted a picture on Instagram with Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, and Shubman Gill and wrote in the caption, “Garden mein ghoomne wale bande.”
Rohit Sharma’s Test career ends with 88 sixes
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma ended his Test career with 4301 runs in 67 matches with the help of 12 centuries. The right-handed batter averaged 40.57 and had a strike rate of 57.05 in the format. Rohit also smashed 88 sixes in Tests—the second most by an Indian after Virender Sehwag’s 91.
As a captain, the Hitman led India in 24 tests, winning 12, losing 9, and drawing 3. Even in IPL 2025, Rohit proved he still had the fire, scoring 418 runs in 15 innings for the Mumbai Indians. He struck four half-centuries during the tournament, where MI faced defeat in the eliminator against PBKS.
