Updated 19 June 2025 at 15:18 IST
'You Are Not Mentally Fresh': England Legend Indirectly Blames The BCCI For Virat Kohli's Sudden Test Retirement Ahead Of England Series
India are all set to lock horns with England in a five-match Test series. The first match of the series will be played at Headingley. India start their WTC 2027 campaign with their tour to England
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Virat Kohli during BGT | Image:
AP
IND vs ENG 1st Test: Shubman Gill's India will miss Virat Kohli's services in English conditions as they take on Ben Stokes and Co. in the five-match Test series starting June 20, 2025. The India vs England series will see two cricketing superpowers taking on each other and try to stamp their dominance on the cricketing field. The series opener will be played in Headingley, a venue that is considered to challenge the batsmen.
Too Much Cricket Took A Strain On Virat Kohli, Feels Geoffrey Boycott
Virat Kohli shocked the entire cricketing fraternity by announcing his retirement from Test cricket on May 12, 2025. The former India captain was expected to tour England with the Indian team one last time, but he announced his Test retirement just four days after Rohit Sharma walked away from the longest format of the game.
The superstar of world cricket, Virat Kohli, last played for India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series that ended earlier this year. Former England cricketer Geoffrey Boycott has now given his take on Kohli's retirement and has said that maybe too much cricket killed his hunger to play the format.
'With so much international cricket played by India, and so little rest, it takes its toll, and the mind becomes fatigued. It does not matter how much talent or experience you have; if you are not mentally fresh and up for the challenge, then it becomes draining,' wrote Boycott for the Telegraph.
The schedule of the Indian cricketers is indeed a tough one and they play the game for most part of the year with the IPL being a big part of their cricketing career. The BCCI has always been very vocal about managing the workload of the players but from the perspective of the athletes, it is a high pressure job.
India Look To End Winless Streak In England
Players of a young Indian team have a herculean task ahead of them to beat a bullish English team led by Ben Stokes in their own conditions. India are starting their World Test Championship (WTC) 2027 cycle with the England series, and they'll like to start their campaign by stamping dominance on England. India has never won a Test series on English soil after 2007. Gill and his team will look to change this in the upcoming Test series against England.
Published 19 June 2025 at 15:13 IST