"It's a a shame not to play against him"- Stokes on Virat Kohli's Test retirement

The forthcoming Test series between England and India marks a transitional period for the Indian cricket team as Shubman Gill is set to lead a relatively young team on an overseas tour. India’s biggest match-winner of the current generation, Virat Kohli has called it quits from Test cricket. Virat Kohli’s passion to play Test cricket was essential for the longest format to thrive despite the growing stature of T20 cricket. 

Without question, Virat Kohli will be missed in Test cricket. England captain Ben Stokes also talked in the same light, stating that ‘it's a shame that he is not part of the series. Stokes lauded his competitive spirit and his desire to win and mentioned that he made number 18 his own. 

"What India will miss will be his fighting spirit out in the game, his competitiveness, and his desire to win," Stokes said in a video released by England Cricket. 

"He has made number 18 his, hasn't he? It'll be a bit weird not seeing number 18 on the back of any Indian shirt, but he has been class for them for a long period of time." Stokes added. 

Ben Stokes also revealed that he texted Kohli after his retirement and that both shares a similar mindset.  

"I did text him, saying it's going to be a shame not to play against him because I love playing against Virat. We both love playing against each other because we have that same mindset - that it's a battle."

The first Test between India and England begins tomorrow at Headingley in Leeds. Meanwhile, the England Cricket Team has announced their playing XI for the first Test match. They have made two changes to the team that played their last Test against Zimbabwe. Chris Woakes returns to the side for the first time since December. He replaces Gus Atkinson, who is injured while Carse comes in for Sam Cook. 

Here’s a look at the playing XI for the England Cricket Team: 

Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir.