“Will miss the aura of Virat Kohli” - Star England batter’s massive remark ahead of ENG vs IND 2025 Tests

England batter Ollie Pope opened up on Virat Kohli's absence from the upcoming home Test series against India, starting June 20. The England vice-captain believes India will miss Kohli's overall aura and chirping at slips.

The star Indian batter announced his retirement from Tests last month, a week after skipper Rohit Sharma walked away from the red-ball format. Kohli has been part of India's previous three Test tours of England in 2014, 2018 and 2021/122.

The champion batter also captained the side in the last two tours, with India taking a 2-1 lead in 2021 before the final Test was postponed to 2022 due to COVID-19. Jasprit Bumrah was the skipper for the one-off affair.

Speaking about the upcoming India series and Kohli's absence on Talk Sports Cricket, Pope said (via India Today):

"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."

India and England last met in Tests in a five-match series in India at the start of last year, with the hosts winning 4-1.

"Perfect time to play India" - Ollie Pope

Ollie Pope believes playing India at the start of their Test summer will be ideal, with the away Ashes series scheduled for later in the year. England's five-Test series against India will finish on August 4, following which the side plays white-ball games against South Africa and Ireland. The all-important Ashes Down Under begins on November 21.

"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," said Pope (via the aforementioned source).

England are yet to lose a home Test series since Ben Stokes took over as captain in mid-2022. Meanwhile, India's last Test series win in England came in the 2007 tour.