Ex-ENG Star's Big Claim: 'If Rohit Or Kohli Were Playing, Series Would've Been...'

Ex-ENG Star's Big Claim: 'If Rohit Or Kohli Were Playing, Series Would've Been...'

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: August 04, 2025, 08:44 IST

Ex-England cricketer claims India are missing Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, affecting their ability to win key moments.

Rohit Shama (left) and Virat Kohli both retired from Tests in May (BCCI Photo)

Former England cricketer David Lloyd has claimed that India are missing the ‘iconic’ duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. He believes that either of them being in the team would have helped the visitors win the ‘main moments’ and the series outcome would have been ‘different’.

Reports came in May that India were considering dropping Rohit from Test captaincy to bring in new blood and the Mumbaikar announced his retirement from the format soon after. A few days later, Kohli, too, confirmed that he was leaving Tests, though later it was learned that his decision had been made long back.

Recommended Stories

“India have been very impressive over the series, but they haven’t won the main moments," Lloyd wrote in his column for The Daily Mail. “If Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli were playing, I think the outcome would have been different. Certain players sniff out the main moments and are proactive rather than reactive. Ben Stokes is fabulous at that. India will be scratching their heads thinking how on earth they could lose this 3-1."

Despite winning more sessions than England, India are 2-1 down in the series before the fifth day of the final Test, where the hosts are 35 runs away from victory with four wickets in hand.

Pressure is building on Ollie Pope

Ollie Pope is running out of favors after his century in England’s first innings of the series at Headingley. In the next eight attempts, he managed a combined 200 runs with only one fifty.

top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all

Not only is his batting spot under threat, but calls are being made to strip him of vice-captaincy and hand it to white-ball captain and Oval centurion Harry Brook.

“Michael Vaughan said he would prefer Harry Brook as vice-captain, and I agree," Lloyd wrote further. “Brook is assured of a place in this side and looks a leader. He would naturally feed off Stokes. The simple fact is that Ollie Pope’s place in this side is vulnerable. Take out the runs against Ireland and Zimbabwe and his return is very modest. His average in the fourth innings of a Test is 16.7, and for a number three, that is nowhere near enough."

About the Author Cricketnext Staff A team of reporters, writers and editors brings you news, analyses, features, live scores, results, stats and everything that’s cricket from all over the globe. Follow @cricketnext A team of reporters, writers and editors brings you news, analyses, features, live scores, results, stats and everything that’s cricket from all over the globe. Follow @cricketnext

view comments

First Published: August 04, 2025, 08:44 IST

News cricket Ex-ENG Star's Big Claim: 'If Rohit Or Kohli Were Playing, Series Would've Been...'

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Click here to read article