As the highly anticipated five-match Test series between India and England approaches, England's Test captain Ben Stokes has lauded Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli, highlighting the void his absence will create in the Indian lineup. The series is set to commence on June 20, 2025, with India led by the promising young star Shubman Gill. Stokes lauded Kohli’s fighting spirit, which will be missing when both sides meet. India will be without Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who brought an end to their Test careers ahead of the series.
"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," Stokes said in a video released by England Cricket on their Instagram.
Having played 123 games for India, Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket in May with 9,230 runs to his name, including 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries
"I did text him, saying it's going to be a shame not to play against him because I love playing against Virat. We both love playing against each other because we have that same mindset when we are out in the field that it's a battle,” Stokes said.
“He has been incredible, and he deserves sort of I'm sure no doubt there's been a lot of praise for him over in India. There's definitely been praise from players over here and you know he's done really well against England so yeah, he has been a class player.” Stokes said.