New Delhi: Not just his batting ability, Virat Kohli also had a significant presence as a leader on the field that India won’t have in their upcoming five-match Test series in England, feels Ollie Pope.
The first Test begins from June 20 at Headingley, Leeds, and India will field a younger team without Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Mohammed Shami and R Ashwin in it.
Kohli and Rohit retired from red-ball cricket last month while Ashwin left midway in the Australia series and Shami hasn’t been included in the squad for the England series over fitness concerns.
India named Shubman Gill as their new Test skipper, while calling up Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair to replace Rohit and Kohli.
Speaking before the high-octane series, Pope said that though their absences would be felt yet Indiahave enough depth and bench strength to still field a formidable team.
Pope said that apart from the batter Kohli, fielder Kohli also posed as an intinidting figure in front of opponent team’s batters.
“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,” Pope told talkSPORT cricket.
“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.”
A new World Test Championship cycle begins with the India vs England series and Pope said it would be great challenge to face a quality team, which will also help prepare for the Ashes series later in the year.
“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,” he added.
India would be looking to win a series in England since 2007 against Ben Stokes’ team, who are second in the Test rankings.
India face England in a five-match Test series without Virat Kohli, who retired from red-ball cricket last year. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
