‘India will miss the aura of Virat Kohli’- England’s Ollie Pope ahead of the five-Test series

Ollie Pope, the deputy captain of the England Test squad, has teasingly said that the tourists In the forthcoming five-Test series that starts on June 20, India will undoubtedly miss Virat Kohli and the aura he exudes.

Advertisment

In May, Shubman Gill was appointed the new captain of the Indian Test squad after Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma announced their retirements from Test cricket. With several new players in the batting order, India will be traveling to England, where they haven't won a Test series since 2007.

India hasn't lost a Test series to England since 2018. They defeated England 3-1 at home in 2021, 4-1 last year, and tied the series 2-2 away from home in 2021–2022.

The post-Kohli-Rohit-Ashwin era begins as India embarks on a new World Test Championship cycle under the direction of head coach Gautam Gambhir and new captain Shubman Gill in an attempt to find and nurture new superstars.

Advertisment

“They will miss the aura of Virat Kohli standing at slips and chirping.” - Ollie Pope

Ollie Pope, who is not sad that Virat Kohli is not in England, thinks that India would undoubtedly miss having their most successful captain in the UK. Pope is not worried about the new players the Indian squad has signed. But in the end, Virat Kohli is Virat Kohli and only Virat Kohli.

"It's a young team, but these Indian players… They have 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 said during an interaction with talkSPORT cricket.

Advertisment

According to Pope, England, who haven't faced a top-tier Test squad in the previous 12 months, can prepare for the major event later this year—the Ashes in Australia—by fielding a team like the India tour. However, he is not making the mistake of considering the series against India as a postmortem.

"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," Pope pointed out.

The five-Test series begins with the first Test on June 20 in Leeds.

Stay updated with the latest cricket news, match insights, and exclusive updates at Sky247 India and download the Sky247 app to start betting today!