Ollie Pope says India will miss Virat Kohli’s aura in England series

England batter Ollie Pope believes India will miss Virat Kohli’s aura in the upcoming Anderson-Tendulkar series. Kohli recently announced his Test retirement on May 12, and he will only play in the ODI format for India.

Kohli amassed 9230 runs in 123 Test matches at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries. 

In the last 69 Test innings since 2020, Kohli has managed only 2028 runs at an average of 30.72, including just three centuries. Before 2020, Kohli accumulated 7202 runs in 141 Test innings at an average of 54.97, including 27 centuries.

Kohli had amassed 593 runs in five Test matches at an average of 59.30 on the 2018 tour of England. The Indian veteran was known to play Test cricket with a lot of passion and played a key role in promoting the red-ball format.

Ollie Pope said on Talk Sports Cricket, “It’s a young team, but these Indian players they have got so much depth and talent. So they’ve got a lot of young guys coming through; a lot of good players. Shubman Gill, their new captain, is a fantastic player. They will miss the aura of Virat Kohli standing at slips and chirping away. But they have got some good talent, so they will feel confident. But our players are ready for it.”

Pope, who is known for his flamboyant batting style, said India will bring a lot of quality and it would be a perfect time for them to play against Shubman Gill’s team.

“It’s a great time for us to play India. Last summer, we had the West Indies and Sri Lanka, but with India coming over, the level of quality that they will bring is a great way for us to focus on that and not look ahead. So yeah, for us, it’s the perfect time to play India, and then once the Ashes come around, it will be exciting,” said Pope.

The opening Test match between India and England will be played at Leeds, Headingley, from June 20 onwards.