'Cricket is poorer without Kohli and Rohit': England legend Joe Root drops first reaction on Ro-Ko's retirement

Indian cricket entered a new era recently as two of its biggest legends, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, announced their retirement from the Test format. The announcement came just days before the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) unveiled the squad for the upcoming five-match Test series against England.

Both players played key roles in red-ball cricket for India, especially Kohli. The former captain not only led India to their first-ever Test series win in Australia, but also helped qualify for the inaugural World Test Championship final. Rohit, on the other hand, captained India in their second consecutive WTC final against Australia.

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Root reacts to Ro-Ko’s retirement

However, both shocked the world with their sudden retirements before the start of the new WTC cycle for India. Reacting to the news, England batting legend Joe Root paid a heartfelt tribute to the two icons before the first Test match against India in Leeds. In an interview with Sony Sports Network, Root spoke from his heart.

“I’ve never been in competition with Virat. He is someone I’ve always admired and thought, ‘Wow, what a player’. I’ll miss those battles we had on the field, but it provides opportunities for other players to try and put their mark on Test cricket,” Root said about Kohli, as the duo were part of the famous ‘Fab 4’, including Steve Smith and Kane Williamson.

Root also spoke about how the absence of Kohli and Rohit will be felt across the cricketing world and not just in India. With Kohli and Rohit stepping aside from the longest format, all eyes will now be on how the new-look Indian team will perform under the captaincy of Shubman Gill.

“Cricket is poorer without them being around. They are two Indian legends. They’ve done amazing things for Indian cricket for such a long period of time. It’ll be a slightly different look to the series, but we still expect it to be highly competitive,” he added.

The last time India toured England, they managed to draw the series 2-2. India have not won a Test series in England since 2007.