Page 43 - The Indian EYE 053025

STUMP VISION MAY 30, 2025 | The Indian Eye 43

VIRAT KOHLI

Even English captain is going to miss his cover

drive as expert feels the batter quit a bit early

OUR BUREAU
London/Mumbai
ngland Test captain Ben Stokes
will miss batting maestro Virat
EKohli’s cover drive, a shot that
will “live long in the memory” and
highlight one aspect that India will
miss about its stalwart in the upcom-
ing five high-stakes Tests between the
two sides, set to begin on June 20.
More than a month before In-
dia’s gruelling Test tour of England,
Virat bid farewell to red-ball cricket
with a heartfelt note on Instagram,
days after his long-time compatriot
Rohit retired from the format. The
illustrious 14-year-long journey filled
with tales of success, perseverance
and heartbreak saw Virat reshape the
way spectators perceived Test cricket.
Virat transformed India into a
result-producing machine during his
memorable stint in the whites. He
infused aggression and the culture of
fitness into a team riddled with youth
and experience. In a career that rede-
fined the demands of the game, Virat Virat Kohli recently announced his retirement from Test cricket (ANI)
scored 9,230 runs at an average of
46.85, with 30 centuries and 31 fifties,
and finished as India’s fourth-highest tunity to do so this time. lenging English conditions, Stokes future, he admitted their departure
run-getter in the format. “I think what India will miss isn’t willing to take the revamped has left a void, but bench strength
“He’s been incredible. He de- is his fighting spirit on the field, his Asian Giants lightly. suggests India will recover from the
serves all the accolades. No doubt, competitiveness, his desire to win. “One thing about India is their massive loss.
there’s been plenty of praise for him Probably he’s made No. 18 his own, battery of batsmen; it is just incred- “His (Virat Kohli) fitness and
in India and here as well. He’s done we might never see it on the back of ible. The time I’ve spent in the IPL, performance don’t indicate that this
well in England, too,” Stokes said in another Indian shirt. He’s been pure they’ve got batters coming out of was the time. I believe he should
a video posted by the ECB. class for such a long time. I texted him there... can’t say a word on this in this have played, and even Rohit should
One aspect of Virat’s game that saying it’s going to be a shame not to interview, but you know what I mean. have. A bad patch comes for every-
impressed the English Test skipper play against him this time,” he said. You can never take any Indian team one. The bench strength of our coun-
the most was the amount of force “I love playing against Virat. lightly, even if the fact that they are try suggests that we will recover the
he applied while striking the ball We’ve always loved playing against without two of their great batsmen,” loss. It’s not that a legendary batsman
through the covers and added, “In each other because we share the he said. might come or replace him, but crick-
white-ball formats especially, he’s same mindset on the field - it’s a bat- But former India cricketer and et needs to be continued as needed,”
wow. One thing I’ll always remember tle,” he added. 2007 T20 World Cup hero Joginder Joginder said.
about Virat is how hard he hits the Virat’s retirement from red-ball Sharma believes Test stalwarts Virat Virat’s 14-year journey in the
ball through the covers, that cover cricket marked the continuation of Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who re- whites transformed India into a re-
drive will live long in the memory.” the exodus trend from the Test for- cently bid adieu to the format, still sult-producing machine. He infused
Virat’s ruthless aggression and mat in the Indian setup. Before the have enough left in their tanks. aggression and the culture of fitness
animated body language trans- Indian batting bigwigs, the illustrious Just over a month before India’s into a team riddled with youth and
formed India’s mentality towards a frontline off-spinner Ravichandran high-stakes tour of England, batting experience. In a career that rede-
game. With the 36-year-old out of Ashwin called it a day on his interna- maestro Virat bid adieu to the Test fined the demands of the game, Virat
the Test picture, Stokes reminisced tional career midway through the Bor- format with a heartfelt note on Ins- scored 9,230 runs at an average of
about how much he loved playing der-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. tagram last Monday, days after his 46.85, with 30 centuries and 31 fifties,
against the Indian stalwart and a With India threadbare in terms long-time compatriot Rohit retired and finished as India’s fourth-highest
“shame” that he won’t get the oppor- of experience of defying the chal- from the format. While looking at the run-getter in the format.

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