It's a shame that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma won't be playing Tests: Chris Woakes
England all-rounder Chris Woakes has said that it's a shame that Indian batting stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will not be a part of the upcoming series between the two teams. India and England are set to take on each other in a five-match series set to begin from June 20.Ahead of the all-important rubber, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma announced their retirements from the longest format, leaving massive holes in the Indian batting line up. As the India and England Test series draws closer, Woakes recalled his battles with Rohit and Virat and said it's a shame that the duo won't be playing the upcoming series.advertisement'It's always good to come up against strong opposition going into a Test series that you know is going to be hard-fought. We've had some good battles against Virat and Rohit over the years. For the game itself, it's a shame they won't be there,' Woakes told ESPNCricinfo.
Furthermore, Woakes said that Indian cricket has enough depth to fill in the massive shoes left by the two stars.'But Indian cricket has so much depth, the players who will come in, I'm sure will be of a very high standard, who have proven themselves some way or the other,' claimed the Englishman,' he added.Meanwhile, the upcoming series will also be the first assignment of India's new Test captain Shubman Gill, who's been entrusted with the leadership duties following the retirement of captain Rohit Sharma. The 24-year-old has led Gujarat Titans (GT) in two seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and took them to the playoffs on the second occasion.Wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant has been appointed as his deputy and the duo will have the massive task of guiding the team to their first series win in England since 2007. India narrowly missed out on winning the series in the previous tour as England won the rescheduled fifth Test to level the series 2-2. Hence, India's young brigade will aim to begin the new chapter of Test cricket by beating England in the upcoming rubber.
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