"No one is ever questioning those two" - Former England captain's huge claim on Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma ahead of ENG vs IND 2025 1st Test

Former England captain Alastair Cook has made a huge remark about former India captains Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli ahead of the five-match Test series between the two sides. The cricketer-turned-commentator said the slate is now clean because there was no one to question Kohli and Sharma, regardless of their performances, owing to their stature in international cricket.

Cook further lauded the quality of India's batting unit as the visitors are set to play a younger side in England.

On Thursday (June 19), Alastair Cook told “The Overlap Cricket” YouTube channel:

“What I can’t work out and will find out obviously is by taking those two really experienced players out Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who have been really bit on the downslide, is the impact they have in the dressing room is now gone. And no matter how, when you take senior players out like that, no matter even if they are great leaders, they might get things wrong, but they never, no one is ever questioning those two in that change room. So, now there’s almost a clean slate.”

“One thing we know they’re going to be so talented. They could pick, I reckon, 18 batsmen almost of the same quality now. And it’d be really interesting to see whether that talent without those two there and I’m not saying they shouldn’t be in,” he added.

Notably, Kohli and Sharma bid adieu to Tests in May. They last represented India during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under, where Australia won the five-match series by a 3-1 margin.

Kohli managed just 190 runs in nine innings at an average of 23.75, including a century. On the other hand, Rohit scored just 31 runs in five innings, averaging 6.20.

“Means a lot to be me” – England Legend backs Ollie Pope over Jacob Bethell for 1st ENG vs IND 2025 Test

Alastair Cook has backed Ollie Pope to play ahead of Jacob Bethell in England’s playing XI for their first Test against India, which begins in Headingley, Leeds on June 20. The remarks came after Pope smashed 171 in a four-day Test against Zimbabwe. The 40-year-old told the Independent:

“Ollie Pope's 170 meant a lot to me, he and (Zak) Crawley were under the pump and they delivered. When I left New Zealand I thought they'll go with Jacob Bethell but if he isn't leaving the IPL to come and play a Test match, for whatever reason that is, it's not a punishment, but that's the way the cards have fallen whether it's Bethell's fault or not.”

“If he's that desperate to play I would have said he would have come out and played, then he'd have guaranteed his England selection. I don't care what's going on behind the scenes on that,” he added.

Jacob Bethell didn’t skip the IPL 2025 for eventual winners Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to play in the four-day Test against Zimbabwe. The 22-year-old, though, joined the side for their white-ball series against the West Indies.