Chris Woakes comments on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s departure from Test cricket, saying, “It is a shame that they won’t be playing in England”

Chris Woakes is participating in the second four-day match between the India A and England Lions in Northampton. Chris Woakes has been sidelined since January 2025 because of an ankle ailment. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Abhimanyu Easwaran were taken out by the seasoned all-rounder on Friday, June 6, who made the new ball talk. He fired Karun Nair later that day. These dismissals were LBW.

Chris Woakes is part of England’s 14-man team for the June 20 start of the first Test in the five-match series against India. It is unfortunate that legends like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will no longer be participating in Test cricket, the 36-year-old added. In the midst of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, they announced their retirement from the longest format last month. Woakes acknowledged, though, that India won’t be an easy target for England in the five-match Test series without Kohli and Rohit.

“Over the years, I’ve had some successful conflicts with Virat and Rohit. It’s unfortunate that they won’t be present for the game itself. ESPN Cricinfo cited Woakes as saying, “But Indian cricket has so much depth that players that come in, I am sure they will be of very high standard and would have proven themselves in some way or another.”

“No matter the circumstances, they will be challenging to play. Indian hitters are consistently of high quality. It will be a difficult task,” he continued.

Chris Woakes commends KL Rahul for his outstanding first-day century.

On Friday, fans flocked to Nottingham’s County Ground to watch KL Rahul perform on a green track. Chris Woakes praised the opening batsman for his spectacular 116 off 168 deliveries.

“KL performed admirably. Good hundred on a pitch that did a little bit throughout the day; there were calm times when the wicket wasn’t doing much. “I believe it had some effect for the majority of the day,” Chris Woakes remarked.

India A was knocked out for 348 on Day 2. Ben McKinney was taken out by the England Lions prior to lunch. For India A, Anshul Kamboj made the breakthrough. The visitors’ first-inning total is 290 runs ahead of the hosts.