No Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma 'a shame', but England rival unbothered; warns team of India's unrivalled depth

Chris Woakes was England Lions’ star with the ball on the opening day of the second unofficial Test match, taking the first three Indian wickets. It serves as a good sign for Woakes, who is returning from injury and was named in England’s squad for the first Test of the series at Headingley in Leeds. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's retirement from Test cricket will make KL Rahul India's senior batter during the tour of England this summer.(AFP)

Woakes, however, was frustrated by a precise and chanceless century made by KL Rahul, who impressed with 116 to set the spine for India A’s innings. Woakes was full of praise for the Indian opener, especially considering that it was a lively and moving pitch throughout the day.

“KL played really well, good hundred, on a wicket which did a little bit all day. There were periods where it was a bit quiet, but it was doing something for most of the day,” Woakes reflected on the proceedings in an interview with ESPNcricinfo after day’s play.

When asked about what it feels like to be preparing against an Indian team without Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli, Woakes spoke about how he thinks the team is still in a strong position due to the quality of replacements and the depth present in the setup.

“It’s always good to come up against strong opposition going into a Test series that you know is going to be hard-fought. We’ve had some good battles against Virat and Rohit over the years. For the game itself, it’s a shame they won’t be there,” said Woakes.

“But Indian cricket has so much depth, the players who will come in, I’m sure will be of a very high standard, who have proven themselves some way or the other,” claimed the Englishman.

Chris Woakes with a ‘ticked box’ with three-wicket performance

If Woakes is drafted into England’s team for the Test match, he will take confidence from his dismissal of Yashasvi Jaiswal on day one. A big inswinger caught Jaiswal falling across, trapping him LBW. Woakes also contributed with the wickets of Ahimanyu Easwaran and Karun Nair, all LBW.

On if he enjoyed the Jaiswal wicket, Woakes said he was happy with how he performed after an injury layoff, and the ability to bowl an extended spell. “I enjoyed all three to be honest. I felt like I could have a couple more, but pleased with how the ball came out. Most important for me was to get through 17 overs. Ticked box for me.”

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