‘More people are watching’: Virender Sehwag’s big statement on fan interest after Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma Test retirement

Virender Sehwag opened up on fan interest after Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s Test retirement, saying more people are now watching cricket.

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Virender Sehwag speaks about cricket’s fan following after Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s Test retirement(Photo: AFP)

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s decision to retire from Test cricket raised questions about the future of the format and its fan following in IndiaHowever, former India opener Virender Sehwag does not believe the game has lost its audience after the two stars walked away from red-ball cricket.

Kohli and Rohit, along with Ravichandran Ashwin, have retired from Test cricket after playing major roles in India’s success over the past decadeWhile their absence has created a big gap in the team, Sehwag believes cricket continues to attract a large audience.

Sehwag says cricket is still attracting fans

Sehwag pointed out that similar concerns were raised whenever a major Indian cricket star retired in the pastAccording to him, fans have always felt that the popularity of the sport was closely linked to individual players.

“Log kehte zaroor hain, unke fans kehte hain ki hum Virat Kohli ke liye cricket dekhte hain ya Rohit Sharma ke liye dekhte hainPar aisa toh Sunil Gavaskar ke liye bhi kaha jata tha, Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar ke liye bhi kaha jata tha (People do say that they watch cricket just for Virat Kohli or Rohit SharmaBut the same thing used to be said for Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar),” Sehwag said in an interaction with News18.

The former opener believes the way people consume cricket has also changedWith matches now easily available on mobile phones and digital platforms, he feels the sport has become easier for fans to follow.

“Yet, people are still watching as much cricket as they used to beforeIn fact, more people are watching now because earlier it used to come on TV, but now it is available on mobile phonesIt has become even easier,” he added.

‘If only cricketers were driving the game’: Sehwag

Sehwag also recalled how some fans told him that they had stopped watching cricket after he retiredHowever, he said he did not take such statements literally.

“So, to say that if this player retires, we won’t watch cricket anymore, maybe some of their fans won’tI have also heard people say, ‘You stopped playing, so we stopped watching,’ but that’s not really the caseThey probably still watch a little bit.

“Agar cricketers se hi game chal rahi hoti, toh ab tak band ho jati (If only cricketers were the ones driving the game, it would’ve stopped by now),” Sehwag explained.

Kohli and Rohit retired from Test cricket around a year and a half agoTheir departure marked the end of an important period for Indian red-ball cricket, with Shubman Gill subsequently taking over the captaincy.

Both players, however, continue to represent India in ODIs and are currently part of the team’s preparations for the 2027 ODI World CupTheir focus has now shifted to the 50-over format, while India’s Test side continues its next phase under Gill.