‘Cricket is poorer without them being around’ – Joe Root shows admiration for Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli following their Test retirements

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. (Photo Source: BCCI)

Ahead of the first Test of the series between England and India at Headingley, Leeds, Joe Root opened up on the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from the longest format of the game. The star batter claimed he never felt in competition with any of the Fab 4 batters, and in particular with Kohli. Root claimed he always admired the batter Kohli is.

‘Fab 4’, a term coined by New Zealand’s Martin Crowe, is used to refer to the quartet of Root, Kohli, Steve Smith, and Kane Williamson. The English great felt he would miss the battles he had on the field with the 36-year-old. However, he felt the retirement of the greats would provide an opportunity for the emerging players to make a name for themselves.

“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,” said Root in an interview with Sony Sports Network.

They have done amazing things for Indian cricket for such a long period of time: Joe Root

The English batter felt that cricket would be poorer without the presence of Rohit and Kohli. The right-handed batter regarded the duo to be legends and added that they have done amazing things for a long time. Root expected the upcoming Test series to be competitive despite their absence.

“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,” Root added.

The 2025 series between India and England will be the first instance where the visiting side will be without the services either Kohli or Rohit after a long time. Likewise, the last time India toured England for a Test series, Rohit was their highest run-scorer. However, neither were at their best in the last couple of years.