Ben Stokes, the England Test captain, is all set to lead his team against England in the upcoming five-match Test series. The series kicks off with the first Test at Headingley from June 20.
India have named their squad for the five-match series while England too have named their squad ahead of the first Test. It is expected to be an intense series, one that kicks off the next WTC campaign for both teams.
India will be without the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, which is a big miss for the visitors. Other batters in the squad will need to step up in the absence of the duo who retired from Test cricket last month. Apart from Kohli and Rohit, Mohammed Shami is also not part of the Test side due to injury.
India Will Miss Kohli's Competitiveness, Desire To Win - Ben Stokes
Meanwhile, Ben Stokes, ahead of the first Test, has spoken about Virat Kohli and said that India will be missing his fighting spirit in the Test series. He spoke about Kohli in a recent video released by England Cricket.
“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" said Stokes.
The England captain also recalled sending a text message to Kohli on his Test retirement, and also the message that he sent him.
“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 added.
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Virat Kohli's Numbers In Test Cricket
Kohli retired from the format as India's fourth-highest run-getter in Test cricket. He scored 9230 runs at an average of 46.85 in 123 matches. He scored 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries. He averaged above 55 between 2016 and 2019. That average went to 75 in 2016 and 2017 when he was consistently churning out runs for India.
This young Indian side will be led by Shubman Gill, who has yet to cement his place in the Test side before being named captain of a relatively young and inexperienced side.
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