Virat Kohli called back to fight England players in the middle of the series

Australia women's captain Alyssa Healy made a huge statement on Virat Kohli following India's loss to England in the third Test of the ongoing five-match series. Healy revealed that she missed Virat Kohli’s presence during the final day (Monday, July 16) of the match at the Lord's Cricket Ground in London.

India missed a golden chance to take the lead in the series. The Shubman Gill-led team failed to chase down a 193-run target during the final innings at Lord’s. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket, ending a remarkable career with 9,230 runs at an average close to 47 in 123 matches.

It Made Me Miss Virat Kohli a Little Bit - Alyssa Healy

Speaking on the Willow Talk podcast, Alyssa Healy said that she felt Virat would have relished the challenge of batting under pressure on the final day. Healy also praised Ravindra Jadeja for putting up a strong fight in Kohli’s absence.

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"It made me miss Virat Kohli a little bit because I would imagine he would have absolutely thrived in that environment, that hostile environment trying to save a Test match. He would have been absolutely frothing to be a part of that. But (Ravindra) Jadeja tried his best," Healy said on the Willow Talk podcast.

Virat Kohli Dubbed "The King of Run Chases" During Lord's Test Commentary

India entered the final day of the Lord’s Test needing 135 runs with six wickets in hand to chase down a 193-run target and take a 2-1 lead in the series. However, the visiting team was bundled out for 170 runs, losing the match by 22 runs.

During commentary on Day 5, former England captain Nasser Hussain said that India would need a new match-winner in the absence of Kohli. He called Kohli "the king of run chases." The former Indian skipper has long been known as the “Chase Master” in white-ball cricket.

Kohli struggled during the 2024–25 Test season, scoring 190 runs in 10 innings with one century and one fifty. The 36-year-old cricketer retired as India’s fourth-highest Test run-scorer.

Shubman Gill Makes Transition into No. 4 Role After Kohli's Exit

Shubman Gill has taken over the No. 4 role in India’s Test lineup, replacing Virat. Kohli's absence was seen as a major gap before the start of the series, but the 25-year-old captain has responded with impressive performances.

Gill began the series with a score of 147 in the first Test at Leeds, but India went on to lose the match. He followed it up with outstanding knocks of 269 and 161 in the second Test at Edgbaston. His 430 runs are the second-highest in a Test match, only behind Graham Gooch’s 456.

Gill also registered the highest score by an Indian batter in England and the highest by an Indian captain in Tests. He had a disappointing outing with low scores in the third Test but remains the leading run-getter in the series with 607 runs at an average of over 101.

Also read: Virat Kohli's jersey number 18 allotted to this Indian player