Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli? Which batter will be missed more by Indian cricket team in their upcoming tour of England

In just 10 days, the Indian cricket team will be facing their first big challenge in Test cricket. Shubman Gill’s side will take on England in the first of five Test matches that is set to be played at the Headingley Stadium in Leeds starting on 20th June. This series also marks the first time the Indian cricket team will be without inspirational former captain Rohit Sharma and batter Virat Kohli. 

KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja are the only experienced stars left after the retirements of R. Ashwin, Rohit, and Kohli from the longest format. Both veteran batters will be focusing just on the ODI format and focusing on the 2027 ODI World Cup. Since their Test debuts in the 2010s, both Rohit and Kohli had diverse paths in the red-ball format. 

Where Kohli was backed by the team management despite a slow start as a Test batter, Rohit had to fight his way through to become a regular Test batter. Since his twin Test tonnes in 2013 till 2019, Rohit had to wait for a long time to get his due in the red-ball format. It was only after he became the opener that Rohit truly became a Test main stay. 

Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli? India’s most dependable SENA Batter in last five years

There is no doubt that Virat Kohli has been one of India’s best batters but his Test form in the last five years took a massive nosedive. Rohit Sharma, on the other hand, batted well in conditions where many felt he would fail. In fact, Rohit was the best batter for India during the last tour of England in 2021. 

In the aforementioned series, Rohit scored 368 runs from four games with an average of 52 and hit one century and one fifty. Kohli, on the other hand, scored 249 runs from five games with a paltry average of 27. It is to be noted that Rohit didn’t play the rescheduled Test matches that took place in 2022. 

Rohit scored a crucial fifty in the Lord’s Test match and also a tonne in the Oval Test, which India went on to win. The right-handed batter saw off the new ball, which consisted of James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Mark Robinson, and Moeen Ali. In fact, Rohit was the second highest scorer in the series behind Joe Root, who had 564 runs. 

Keeping in mind such stats, India will surely feel Rohit Sharma’s loss at the top of the order. One cannot forget that KL Rahul is set to open the innings with Yashasvi Jaiswal. The latter is in his first-ever tour of England and could face issues with the new ball and in conditions which are favourable for seam bowling.