Rohit won't be missed as much as Kohli in England: Boycott

Cricket great Geoffrey Boycott said Virat Kohli will be a bigger miss for Team India in England than former skipper Rohit Sharma. “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,” Boycott wrote in his column for the Daily Telegraph.

India will be without the two stalwarts who recently retired from Test cricket. Shubman Gill has been named captain of a young Indian side that is set to play five Tests in England, starting at Leeds on June 20.

Former England captain Boycott feels that while India has plenty of young talents, Kohli's winning mentality will be a huge miss. “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.

“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. In the last couple of years his batting was a little inconsistent, which was not surprising in his late 30s.

“Rohit was never a natural athlete like Kohli and he knows that opening the innings in England can be pretty tough because the new ball moves around more. You really have to be up for the challenge to have any chance of success.

“I just think that over time, the wear and tear of opening the innings and being captain in all three formats wore him down,” Boycott wrote. India’s last Test series win in England was in 2007.