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“Cricket Is Poorer Without Virat Kohli And Rohit…” Joe Root Makes Honest Admission

Aakash Saini

Rohit Sharma with Virat Kohli and Joe Root [Source: @AvengerReturns, @mufaddal_vohra/x]Rohit Sharma with Virat Kohli and Joe Root [Source: @AvengerReturns, @mufaddal_vohra/x]

Joe Root has expressed his admiration for Indian legend Virat Kohli ahead of England’s five-match Test series in a couple of days’ time. The legendary Englishman also gave his take on the sudden Test retirements of Kohli and Indian captain Rohit Sharma, claiming that the game with be “poorer” without them.

However, Root still believes that the upcoming series between England and India will be a “highly competitive” one despite the absence of the two seasoned Indian batters.

Joe Root Says Kohli Retirement An Opportunity For Others

During the earlier phase of his Test playing days, Virat Kohli was clubbed alongside Joe Root in the elite ‘Fab Four’ group of batting, with the others being Steve Smith and Kane Williamson. After Kohli’s retirement from the format, Root admitted that while he was never in competition with the legendary Indian, he did admire him for the on-field battles they had.

Root also explained that the sudden retirement of Virat Kohli will give an opportunity to other Indian players to make a mark. While speaking during a media interaction organized by the Sony Sports Network and as quoted by The Hindu, the Englishman said:

“I’ve never been in competition with Virat. He is someone I’ve always admired, and thought, ‘Wow, what a player’. I’ll miss those battles we had on the field, but it provides opportunities for other players to try and put their mark on Test cricket.”

Joe Root also addressed the retirement of Rohit Sharma, stating that his and Virat Kohli’s absence will leave the game “poorer”. He added:

“Cricket is poorer without them being around. They are two Indian legends. They’ve done amazing things for Indian cricket for such a long period of time. It’ll be a slightly different look to the series, but we still expect it to be highly competitive.”

Joe Root will be seen helming England’s batting line-up against a Virat Kohli-less India in a five-match Test series. The series opener will be hosted by the Headingley in Leeds between June 20 and June 24.