IND vs SL: Entire credit for where we stand goes to Virat Kohli, says skipper Rohit Sharma

India’s Test team is going through a much-needed transition. They have a new captain in Rohit Sharma; Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Ishant Sharma and Wriddhiman Saha have been dropped, meaning there is an immediate need to address the middle-order, specifically No 3 and 5. If Rohit chooses Mayank Agarwal as his opening partner in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Mohali, two among Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer will be asked to step up.Different factors will be in consideration and all three are expected to be given a good run before any decision is taken. It will be a tricky phase though, given India have been used to Pujara and Rahane (they have played 177 Tests between them) for so long now. "Those guys are big shoes to fill in. It's never easy for the guys who will come in," Rohit said in the pre-match virtual press conference. "But those guys who are going to replace these two have done exceedingly well whenever they've gotten an opportunity. We need to just back these guys to come good for us. You always need to look forward and those guys have been waiting for a while now. And it's just not about one or two games but I'm looking at a number of years for them playing for India and doing well for us. “What Pujara and Rahane have done for this team, you can't put it in words. All these years of hard work, playing 80-90-odd Tests matches, all those overseas Test victories, India getting to No. 1 in the Test format, these guys helped us throughout and played a big part in that. There is no way they are not being looked at in the future. They will definitely be part of our plans. Like the selectors also said, it is just for now that we didn't consider them. There is no guarantee, nothing written about them that they will not be considered for future series.” Forty-three Tests old, Rohit thanked Virat Kohli for leading the team to a position of strength ahead of his first Test as captain. “As a Test team, we stand in a very good position. The whole credit goes to Virat for where we stand in this format. What he has done with the Test team over the years was brilliant to see,” Rohit said. “I have to just take it from where he has left. I just have to do the right thing with the right players.” Asked about his thoughts on Kohli playing his 100th Test, Rohit said: “It has been an absolutely brilliant journey for him. To go on and play 100 Tests, it has been wonderful. He has done exceedingly well in this particular format, changed so many things in the way the team is moving forward. It has been brilliant to watch that. It has been one hell of a ride for him. It will continue to be in the years to come. We definitely want to make it a special one for him. “As a team, I think the series we won in Australia in 2018-19 was a very good series for us. As a batter, my best memory of him is the century in Johannesburg in 2013. It was a challenging pitch that had lot of bounce, and all of us were playing in South Africa for the first time. He faced Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Philander, and Jacques Kallis… it was never going to be easy. The way he batted, got a century in the first innings, scored 90-odd (96) in the second, it was the best knock I remember. Perth 2018 was also special but I think this beats that one.”