Geoffrey Boycott, the former England opener, has sparked debate ahead of the India-England Test series by claiming that Virat Kohli's absence will be a bigger blow to India than Rohit Sharma's. Both Kohli and Sharma have recently retired from Test cricket, leaving a void in the Indian batting lineup. The five-Test series is set to commence on June 20 in Leeds.
Boycott, in his column for The Daily Telegraph, stated, "The retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma hurts the chances of India beating England. Kohli is the biggest loss as he has been their best batsman and talisman in all three formats." He acknowledged Rohit's contributions but suggested that the former captain "won't be missed as much as Kohli," pointing to Rohit's inconsistent Test form in recent years.
The former England batter dissected the reason behind Kohli's Test retirement, claiming that too much high-intensity cricket could have left him exhausted. He added, "With so much international cricket played by India, and so little rest, it takes its toll and the mind becomes fatigued. It does not matter how much talent or experience you have, if you are not mentally fresh and up for the challenge then it becomes draining."
Boycott believes that Kohli was not just a top performer but the heartbeat of Indian cricket, whose presence lifted the entire team. He emphasized Kohli's consistent performance and talismanic presence. In contrast, Boycott noted, "Rohit was a superb batsman. At his best, a beautiful stroke player, but he won't be missed as much as Kohli because his Test record was good rather than exceptional." He added that in the last couple of years, Rohit's batting was a little inconsistent, which was not surprising in his late 30s.
Boycott also pointed out that Rohit was "never a natural athlete like Kohli," adding that opening the innings in England can be particularly tough because the new ball moves around more. He suggested that the "wear and tear of opening the innings and being captain in all three formats wore him down.” Rohit Sharma ended his Test career with 4301 runs in 67 games.
Ben Stokes, the England skipper, also acknowledged Kohli's significance, stating that India will miss his "fighting spirit" in the series. England vice-captain Ollie Pope echoed this sentiment, saying that India will miss the aura of Virat Kohli.
India has not won a Test series in England since 2007, a record the new, youthful squad led by Shubman Gill will be keen to change. Shubman Gill is set to lead India in his first Test series, succeeding Rohit Sharma as captain. India has named a youthful squad for the high-profile series following the Test retirements of stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The spotlight shifts to KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and newly-appointed skipper Shubman Gill, each bearing different responsibilities and career arcs as they look to anchor India's top order in alien conditions.
Turning his attention to the hosts, Boycott cautioned Ben Stokes and Co. against overconfidence, despite their recent win over Zimbabwe. He warned that England must moderate their aggressive "Bazball" approach if they are to dominate a transitioning Indian team. "England should beat India if they temper Bazball and use some common sense," Boycott wrote. "It's no use telling us how good you are when you haven't made a single WTC final at home. They should be embarrassed." He urged England to prioritize winning over entertaining. He added, "Being a winner is better than being known as an entertainer... Bring your best game and apply some cricket nous.” Boycott feels that India has plenty of young talents, Kohli's winning mentality will be a huge miss.
