“Makes the dressing room a little bit easier to be in” - Former pacer’s huge remark on Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma before ENG vs IND 2025 Tests

Former England pacer Steve Harmison believes the absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma could make life easier for the Indian players in the dressing room in the upcoming Test tour of England. Team India will play England in a much-anticipated five-Test series, starting at Leeds on Friday, June 20.

The side will be without the legendary duo of Kohli and Rohit after they announced their Test retirements last month. Shubman Gill will lead the Indian side as the newly appointed Test captain.

In a conversation with IANS, Harmison weighed in on Kohli and Rohit's absence in England, saying (via ABP Live):

"When great players go out of the team, sometimes it makes the dressing room a little bit easier to be in because you've now got somebody that's going to go out there and score all the runs for you. You're going to have to take some responsibility yourself. So that'll be the challenge from the India team's point of view."

He added:

"I think it gives (England) a mental boost to have no Rohit Sharma and no Virat Kohli. I think even though the two great players possibly weren't the great players they were five to ten years ago, the sight of Virat and Rohit being on a team sheet still holds a lot of weight. So with no great players as those two in the starting eleven, that also sometimes galvanises the team."

While Kohli retired with 9,230 runs in 123 Tests, Rohit finished on 4,301 runs in 67 outings. However, both batters struggled last year, leading to questions about their place in India's Test side.

"Wouldn't surprise me if Man of the Series is a bowler" - Steve Harmison on IND-ENG Tests

Steve Harmison believes the bowlers will decide the outcome of the India-England five-Test series. England have not lost a home Test series since Ben Stokes became permanent captain in mid-2022.

Meanwhile, Team India last won a Test series in England in 2007, under the captaincy of Rahul Dravid.

"I'm expecting a close series, but I think England are favourites because this series is in England. I think the bowler that stands up on either side will be the one who wins the series. So it wouldn't surprise me if Man of the Series is a bowler because they will be the difference between the two sides, who have very, very aggressive batting units and want to score. But I think the class of bowlers will stand out," said Harmison (via aforementioned source).

India gave England a run for their money in their previous tour in 2021/22, with the five-Test series ending in a 2-2 draw.

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Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran