Virat Kohli's aura and chirping will be a big miss for India at slips: Ollie Pope
Star England batter Ollie Pope feels India will miss Virat Kohli's aura and his chirping standing in the slips in the upcoming Test series against England. India and England are set to lock horns in a five-match series beginning from June 20 at Headingley, Leeds. Ahead of the all-important rubber, senior players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their retirements, leaving massive holes to fill in the Indian team.advertisementRecently, Ollie Pope commented on the absence of the senior duo, mentioning Indian cricket's depth and said that they have enough players to fill in the shoes. However, Pope also stated that India will miss Virat Kohli's intimidating presence on the field as he was always in the face of the opposition.WTC Final 2025 SA vs AUS Live
"It's a young team, but these Indian players they have got so much depth and talent. So they've got a lot of young guys coming through; a lot of good players. Shubman Gill, their new captain, is a fantastic player. They will miss the aura of Virat Kohli standing at slips and chirping away. But they have got some good talent, so they will feel confident. But our players are ready for it," Pope said during an interaction with talkSPORT cricket.advertisementFurthermore, Pope also stated that it's going to be great challenge to face a quality team like India, which will serve as a good preparation for the Ashes later this year."It's a great time for us to play India. Last summer, we had the West Indies and Sri Lanka, but with India coming over, the level of quality that they will bring is a great way for us to focus on that and not look ahead. So yeah, for us, it's the perfect time to play India, and then once the Ashes come around, it will be exciting," Pope added.The upcoming series will be the first assignment for the new captain Shubman Gill and vice captain Rishabh Pant. India haven't won a series in England since 2007 and will be up against Ben Stokes' men, who recently climbed to second spot in the ICC Test rankings.
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