India will take on England in the upcoming five-match Test series beginning on June 20. India star batter, Virat Kohli announced his Test retirement just before the announcement of the squad for the new World Test Championship cycle 2025-27. Ben Stokes, England skipper has expressed what it will feel like to play a crucial game in the absence of Kohli.
Ben Stokes on Virat Kohli’s absence
Ben Stokes expressed that it is a shame that Virat won’t be able to compete in the Test format against Kohli anymore. He lavished praise on Virat and his fighting spirit during the game.
“What India will miss will be his fighting spirit out in the game, his competitiveness, and his desire to win. He has made number 18 his, hasn’t he? It’ll be a bit weird not seeing number 18 on the back of anyone of any Indian shirt, but he has been class for them for a long period of time,” Stokes said on Virat Kohli’s retirement and his absence in the upcoming Test series, in a video released by England cricket.
“I did text him, saying it’s going to be a shame not to play against him because I love playing against Virat. We both love playing against each other because we have that same mindset when we are out in the field — that it’s a battle,” he further expressed.
Virat Kohli’s retirement
Earlier, there were speculations about Virat Kohli’s inclusion in the Indian Test after he joined the Ranji Trophy game against the Railways. However, the star player announced his exit during the Indian Premier League and shocked the fans.
Virat Kohli’s stats in Tests
Virat Kohli made his Test debut in the year 2011 against West Indies. In his career, the 36-year-old played 210 innings in the longest format of cricket and amassed 9,230 runs. He registered his highest individual score of 254*. Kohli has smashed 30 centuries and 31 fifties in 123 matches that he was a part of.
Among all opponents, he has scored the second-highest runs against England. He has accumulated 1991 runs in the 50 innings played. He has registered the highest score of 235 and has hit five centuries and nine fifties against England.
India’s full squad against England
Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana.
