England captain has said that he told how much the latter will be missed when India embark on a five-Test tour of the country in June. The Indian team that arrives on English shores will be a side in transition with stalwarts Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma both retiring from the longest format earlier this month.
England have started their summer of cricket with a four-match Test against Zimbabwe at Bridge, after which they host India for a long, five-Test series. “I texted him saying it’s going to be a shame not playing against him this time. I love playing against Virat. We both have that same mindset on the field – it’s a battle,” said Stokes in a video released by the England and Wales Cricket Board.
“What India will miss is his fighting spirit on the field, his competitiveness, his desire to win. He’s made No. 18 his own – we might never see it on the back of another Indian shirt. He’s been class for such a long time,” Stokes said. “He has been incredible and no doubt there is a lot of praise coming for him from everywhere in India and from here. He has done really well against England.
Stokes said that Kohli is “up there” with the best players he has ever faced, particularly in limited overs cricket. Kohli had previously retired from T20Is after powering India to the 2024 T20 World Cup title. With the Test retirement now, Kohli is now only active in ODIs in international cricket. “Definitely he is up there. White-ball formats especially, just… wow. Something I will always remember about Virat is just how hard he hits the ball through covers. The cover drive would be the one,” said Stokes.
Kohli retires as India’s fourth-highest run scorer in Test cricket, having scored 9230 runs at an average of 46.85 in 123 matches. He scored 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries. His annual average never dipped below 55 in the four years between 2016 and 2019. Additionally his calendar year average at the end of 2016 and 2017 were both above 75.
