Right from the time when KL Rahul made his Test debut during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2014-15, where Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma had been around the batter, sharing the dressing room with him.
Rahul has worked as a deputy to both Kohli and Sharma in Tests whenever he was called upon and ended up becoming an integral part of the core group, spending a lot of time with the duo on and off the field.
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In a decade-long career where he has almost played 60 Tests, this upcoming series against England will be the first time that neither of those two will be alongside him in the slip cordon and in the batting line-up.
See what the batter had to say about the void created after the retirements of the Indian stalwarts ahead of the Headingley Test.
What did KL Rahul say about Kohli and Rohit's Test retirements?
Speaking to the media team of his Indian Premier League franchise, the Delhi Capitals, Rahul talked about the strange feeling of not having the experienced duo alongside him in the dressing room.
He also emphasized the importance of respecting their decisions to call it a day in Tests ahead of the new World Test Championship cycle and called for the youngsters to step up going ahead.
"Virat and Rohit have been the pillars of Indian cricket for the last decade or so, and not having them around will be a huge miss. In my whole career so far, I have never walked into a team where there is no Virat or Rohit."
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"The 50-odd Test matches that I have played, either Virat or Rohit or both of them have been there. To walk into that dressing room feels a bit strange. But of course, you have to respect their decision," said Rahul.
"They have given absolutely everything for the country, and they will remain legends of Indian cricket. But it's time for the rest of us to step up," he added.