England legend Geoffrey Boycott believes Team India will miss Virat Kohli more than Rohit Sharma in the upcoming Test series and has offered his perspective on Kohli’s retirement.
Writing in his column for *The Telegraph*, the former England cricketer shared his thoughts on the contrasting careers of Rohit and Kohli. While acknowledging Rohit’s quality, Boycott made it clear that Kohli was on a different level.
“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. 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,” Boycott wrote in his column for The Daily Telegraph.
Kohli is the bigger loss: Boycott
According to Boycott, Kohli’s contribution across all three formats makes his retirement far more significant than Rohit’s. He added that while both players’ absences would hurt India, Kohli’s departure leaves a bigger void in the batting line-up.
“The retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma hurts India’s chances of beating England. Kohli is the bigger loss, as he has been their best batsman and talisman across all three formats. With the volume of international cricket India plays, and such little rest, it takes a toll — mentally and physically. No matter how talented or experienced you are, if you’re not mentally fresh and up for the challenge, it becomes draining,” Boycott added.
In terms of Test statistics, Kohli’s numbers are notably superior. He scored 9,230 runs in 123 matches at an average of 46.85, while Rohit amassed 4,301 runs in 67 matches at an average of 40.57.
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