Leeds, Jun 18 (PTI) England captain Ben Stokes says not getting to face a competitor like Virat Kohli in a blockbuster Test series is a “shame” and feels the maestro’s absence will deprive the Indian team of his fighting spirit and desire to win.

Kohli announced his retirement from the game’s traditional format last month, few days after his longtime India teammate Rohit Sharma too decided to call it a day, leaving the BCCI to send a team in transition to the UK under the leadership of Shubman Gill.

In a video released by England Cricket, Stokes reflected on what India will miss following Kohli’s retirement.

“What India will miss will be his fighting spirit out in the game, his competitiveness, and his desire to win,” Stokes said.

“He has made number 18 his, hasn’t he? It’ll be a bit weird not seeing number 18 on the back of anyone of any Indian shirt, but he has been class for them for a long period of time.” Kohli has been one of the biggest ambassadors of Test cricket during the course of his magnificent career, and the purists of the game were too happy to see him voicing his support for the traditional format at a time when the sports shortest version — T20 — dominated the cricketing landscape.

Stokes, who has also explicitly expressed his preference for the five-day game, said he texted Kohli after the latter announced his retirement.

“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 when we are out in the field — that it’s a battle,” Stokes said.

Kohli retired as India’s fourth-highest run scorer in Test cricket, having amassed 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85 in 123 matches.

He recorded 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries. PTI

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