“Rohit Sharma won’t be missed as much as Virat Kohli” - Geoffrey Boycott ahead of England tour

Former England opener and commentator Geoffrey Boycott felt Team India’s chances of beating England would be hurt with the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Furthermore, Boycott felt Kohli would be the biggest loss, comparatively.

Notably, India is all set to tour England for a five-match Test series, starting on June 20 at Headingley, Leeds. While Rohit was a superb batter and a beautiful stroke player, Boycott feels he will not be missed that much in England.

"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," Boycott wrote in his column for The Daily Telegraph.

"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," Boycott added.

Moreover, Boycott also talked about Rohit’s retirement, stating that he was never a natural athlete like Kohli. Though opening the innings in England isn’t an easy task against the swinging ball, he felt captaining the team in all three formats and opening the innings could’ve worn him down

"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," wrote Boycott.

It’s important to note that Team India is playing in England for the first time since 2011 without the services of Virat Kohli. Also, this will be the first Test series for India after the Test retirements of Kohli and Rohit.

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