'Virat Kohli will be missed more in England than Rohit Sharma': Says legendary cricketer Geoffrey Boycott

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket ahead of the England series. (Photo: BCCI)

In the forthcoming Test series against England, the legendary Geoffrey Boycott stated that India will suffer from the absence of both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, with the former batter being a greater loss than the latter. Last month, Rohit and Kohli both announced their retirements from the longest format, while Shubman Gill was elevated as captain.

“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. With so much international cricket played by India, and so little rest, it takes its toll and the mind becomes fatigued,” Boycott wrote in his column for the Daily Telegraph.

Also Read - 'It’s been 10 years...': KL Rahul asked to break chains of Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma era by former batting coach

“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 added.

All-rounder and England captain Ben Stokes praised Kohli as well, stating that India will miss his "fighting spirit."

Also Read - 'It's sad and unfortunate': Ex-India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's retirement

In a video that England Cricket posted, Stokes discussed what India will miss if Kohli retires, “I think what India will miss will be his fighting spirit out in the game, his competitiveness, 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.”