Key Points

"You've got a new captain also, Shubham Gill. You know, as much as it's going to be hard, but I still believe that these guys are good enough to adjust in those conditions and really do well for India. Cheers. Cricket has become a religion in India," Chris Mpofu told ANI.

Shubman Gill was appointed as India's new Test captain, while wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant will serve as his deputy in the longest format. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squad for the highly anticipated five-match Test series against England last month.

The series will take place from June to August 2025, with matches at Headingley (Leeds), Edgbaston (Birmingham), Lord's (London), Old Trafford (Manchester), and The Oval (London). This will be India's first bilateral series since both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their retirement from Test cricket earlier this month.

Mpofu also spoke about veteran batter Virat Kohli, and believed Virat deserves to win IPL, noting his past unsuccessful attempts, and anticipates a historic win for either team, given their trophy drought.

"I'm a big fan of Virat. So is everyone, most of the people in India. It will be so good also to see them winning something. And like you said, you've got two teams that haven't won the trophy. So it will be history in the making for any of them. And I think for Virat, he's tried three times. He hasn't won it, getting to that final and not winning it. I think he's one person who deserves to get an opportunity to get his hands on that trophy," he added.

RCB will face Punjab Kings in the historic IPL 2025 final on June 3. The match, featuring two teams with no trophy yet, the match will take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Bengaluru and Punjab have played 36 IPL matches against each other so far. And, nothing separates the two as both teams have won 18 each.

- ANI