Geoffrey Boycott believes Virat Kohli’s absence will hurt India more than Rohit Sharma’s in the upcoming Test series against England.
India will play a Test series in England without Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for the first time since 2011. Geoffrey Boycott believes India will struggle to beat England after losing both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to retirement. The former England batter sees Kohli’s absence as the bigger concern due to his consistent performances across formats.
He noted that while Rohit was a stylish and talented batter, his Test contributions were not as impactful in recent years. Boycott then pointed out Rohit’s inconsistency, especially in the last two years, when he was in his late 30s.
“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,” he added.
Geoffrey Boycott Compares Kohli’s Fitness to Rohit’s Strain
Geoffrey Boycott also remarked that Rohit, unlike Kohli, was not a natural athlete. Playing all formats regularly made the longer format more demanding.
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Last Updated on June 18, 2025
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