With just days to go before India’s high-stakes five-match Test series in England kicks off in Leeds, legendary cricketer Geoffrey Boycott has delivered a shocking statement on the retirements of the batting icons Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from the longest format of the game.
Last month, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma both retired from Test cricket, leaving a big void in the Indian Test team. While BCCI handed over the Test captaincy to Shubman Gill following Rohit’s retirement, which was expected given his age and form, what would really hit them is Kohli’s absence.
Virat Kohli’s retirement hurts India more than Rohit Sharma’s: Geoffrey Boycott
The legendary England cricketer said that India’s chances of winning the upcoming Test series have taken a massive hit because of the iconic Kohli’s retirement, saying the former captain’s absence will be really missed by the team as he has long been their pillar for over a decade.
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Kohli retired from Tests with 9,230 runs in 123 games and as the greatest Indian Test captain. His consistency, fierceness, electric energy, and intense dominance in pressure moments made him a dangerous rival for the best.
Well, Boycott believes that Kohli was not just a top performer but the heartbeat of Indian cricket whose presence only lifted the entire team.
So much cricket forced Virat Kohli to retire from Tests!!!
Geoffrey Boycott wrote in his column for The Daily Telegraph, “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.”
Rohit, who ended his Test career with 4301 runs in 67 games, had a solid but slightly inconsistent career in recent years. However, Boycott lauded Hitman’s elegant stroke play and leadership but suggested that Kohli’s retirement is a much bigger loss for India than Rohit’s.
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The legendary umpire and broadcaster further explained, “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 Sharma was never a natural athlete like Virat Kohli: Geoffrey Boycott
The Englishman also believes that Rohit, unlike Kohli, wasn’t a natural athlete, and the constant pressure of facing the new ball, especially in English conditions, and leading India in Tests and ODIs eventually took a toll on him.
Boycott added, “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.”
In the end, the former cricketer said that England should win the upcoming home Test series against India, but they must use some common sense. He noted that England sometimes plays thrilling and super enjoyable cricket, but their reckless batting has lost them Test matches.
