The Indian team is all set to take on England in an upcoming five-game Test series. Both sides will lock horns across five Test matches from June 20, and the series will also mark the start of the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle 2025-27.
Ace India batter Shubman Gill was named India’s Test captain ahead of the tour, and it is worth noting that team India will be without the services of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the series, as both batters announced their retirement from the longest format ahead of the series.
The news of Kohli’s retirement from Tests left many fans shell shocked, and former England cricketer Monty Panesar took centre stage and gave his take on Kohli’s retirement as well. Pansear opined that the star India batter bailed out of the Test series.
“I think he was definitely going to play. I think England were expecting, everyone was expecting him to play. I'm surprised he's kind of like bailed out. But maybe the fact that outside off-stump, he's just thinking, well, you know, they may have had a word with him. They said, look, if you don't score well in the first couple of Test matches, don't expect to play all the five. So, he's probably thinking, well, I'll just call it a day and give the youngsters a go,” Panesar told Hindustan Times.
Indian middle order key against England according to Panesar
Furthermore, Panesar stated that they will have a good chance to win the series against England, considering that the side’s middle order, consisting of Karun Nair and Shubman Gill, performs well.
“It would depend on how Karun Nair performs, he scored a double-hundred against the England Lions. He and Shubman Gill, that middle-order, how they bat. I think the batters who've played county cricket, if they are able to then transform that same form at the international level, then I think India have got a chance to win,” he added.