With just two days to go before the start of the five-match Test series between India and England, talismanic batter Joe Root has said he will miss the presence of Virat Kohli. Both Root and Kohli have been highly respected batters for their respective teams in the Test format.
During a media interaction organised by Sony Sports Network, Root spoke about Kohli’s absence from Test cricket and expressed his admiration for him.
“I’ve never been in competition with Virat,” Root said in a conversation with Sony Sports Network. “He’s someone I’ve always admired and thought, ‘Wow, what a player’. I’ll miss those battles we had on the field, but it provides opportunities for other players to try and make their mark on Test cricket.”
Root also mentioned Rohit Sharma, and how both of the retired Indian Test cricketers have left behind remarkable careers to look up to. Both Rohit and Kohli retired from Test cricket earlier this year.
“Cricket is poorer without them being around. They are two Indian legends. They’ve done amazing things for Indian cricket over such a long period. It’ll give the series a slightly different feel, but we still expect it to be highly competitive,” he added.
“He Is Clearly Going to Be a Big Threat” – Root on Bumrah
In the upcoming India tour of England, Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is unlikely to feature in all five Test matches. The 34-year-old Root, however, emphasised Bumrah’s importance in India’s pace attack and labelled him a major threat to England’s batting line-up.
“Every time he’s played, he’s had a huge impact. He is clearly going to be a big threat. We’ll have to try and manage him as best we can,” said Root.
Root also noted that the England team is preparing specific plans and strategies to counter India’s bowling line-up.
“You can’t single out individual bowlers. You need a plan for each challenge and different types of bowlers. There will be times when Bumrah will be hard work, and we’ll have to work through that. When we get opportunities to score, we’ve got to take them,” he concluded.
For More Exciting Articles: Follow RevSportz