“I will miss those battles” - Joe Root on Virat Kohli not being part of England vs India Test series

England mainstay batter Joe Root has opened up on Virat Kohli announcing his Test retirement ahead of the England tour, which is scheduled to start on June 20 in the new World Test Championship cycle at Headingley, Leeds.

Talking about Kohli's absence, Root stated that he would miss the battles he had against the Indian talismanic batter. Moreover, he asserted that though he always admired the Indian, he never had a competition against him.

“I’ve never been in competition with Virat. He is 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 put their mark on Test cricket,” Root told Sony Sports Network.

Furthermore, the Indian team will also miss another Indian batter, Rohit Sharma, who also announced his retirement from the longest format of the game. Speaking on the same, Root reckoned that the game is going to be poorer without the veteran being around.

“Cricket is poorer without them being around. They are two Indian legends. They’ve done amazing things for Indian cricket for such a long period of time. It’ll be a slightly different look to the series, but we still expect it to be highly competitive,” Root added.

Moreover, Root also mentioned the impact the Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah brings onto the field. It’s important to note that Bumrah will take part in only three out of five Tests against England to manage his workload.

“Every time he’s played, he’s had a huge impact. He is clearly going to be a big threat. We have to try and manage as best we can,” Root stated.

“You can’t single out individual bowlers. You have a plan for every challenge and different bowler type. There will be times when he (Bumrah) is going to be hard work, and we’re going to have to work through that. And when we get opportunities to score, we’ve got to take it,” he concluded.

Stay updated with the latest cricket news, match insights, and exclusive updates at BetBarter and download the BetBarter app to start betting today!