Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma shamed by Chris Woakes over Test retirement

The 36-year-old England National Cricket Team pace-bowling all-rounder Chris Woakes has shared his views on the retirement of the Indian batting stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from Test cricket.

Chris Woakes also showered high praise on the India National Cricket Team star batsman KL Rahul for his stunning century in the second unofficial Test against England Lions at the County Ground in Northampton.

Also Read: England Cricket Board officially unveils Virat Kohli as their player

SHORTS

View More

Your daily dose of cricket!

Loading...

We’ve had some good battles against Virat and Rohit over the years - Chris Woakes

The English all-rounder recently said that they have had good battles with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli over the years, and their retirement is a shame for the game of cricket.

He, however, added that the depth in Indian cricket is amazing and the player with 'high standard' will fill in the shoes of the veteran batters.

"It’s always good to come up against strong opposition going into a Test series that you know is going to be hard-fought. We’ve had some good battles against Virat and Rohit over the years. For the game itself, it’s a shame they won’t be there,” said Woakes as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.

“But Indian cricket has so much depth, the players who will come in, I’m sure will be of a very high standard, who have proven themselves some way or the other,” he added.

KL played really well - Chris Woakes

Rahul took part in the second unofficial Test against the England Lions to prepare himself for the five-match series against England, as he is likely to open the innings with Yashasvi Jaiswal.

He shone with the bat in the match and slammed 116 runs in 168 balls. His innings consisted of 15 fours and one six. Rahul was eventually dismissed by George Hill, but he made a good enough contribution to put his team in a good position and looked in solid touch.

Talking about Rahul, Chris Woakes lauded the Indian batter, saying that he hit a 'good hundred' on a surface that was not easy to bat on.

“KL played really well, good hundred, on a wicket which did a little bit all day. There were periods where it was a bit quiet, but it was doing something for most of the day,” Woakes stated.

I enjoyed all three to be honest - Chris Woakes

Woakes, who is making his comeback from injury, picked up three wickets in the same unofficial Test match. He bowled 20 overs and gave away 60 runs while picking up the wickets of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, and Karun Nair.

Jaiswal's dismissal was an interesting one as he was declared out LBW by the umpire after he failed to connect with an inswinger from Woakes. The left-handed batter was furious at the umpire after his wicket, but had to walk back to the hut.

Meanwhile, Woakes stated that he was happy with all three wickets he picked and how the ball came out of his hands. He stated:

“I enjoyed all three to be honest. I felt like I could have a couple more, but pleased with how the ball came out. Most important for me was to get through 17 overs. Ticked box for me.”