Did Team India Miss Virat Kohli In England Test Tour? Star Pacer Says: "Not Made Of..."
India pacer Akash Deep has made his thoughts clear when asked whether the Test team missed Virat Kohli during the tour of England.
- India drew 2-2 with England in the five-match Test series under Shubman Gill's captaincy
- Pacer Akash Deep has downplayed the absence of stalwart Virat Kohli, who announced his Test retirement
- "The team is not made of one person, but by 11 players," said Akash Deep
Despite the Test retirements of stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, an exuberant India side led by Shubman Gill snatched a 2-2 draw against England in the five-match Test series. Gill-led India won more sessions of play throughout the series as well. One of India's unsung heroes was pacer Akash Deep, who scalped 13 wickets in three matches, including 10 in one match as India won the second Test at Edgbaston. Now, Akash Deep has downplayed the absence of Kohli from the Test squad.
When asked whether the Test team missed Kohli, Akash Deep chose to highlight the team atmosphere.
"See, this is a team. I feel that one day I may not be there, but the team atmosphere will continue to be the same. The team is not made of one person, but by 11," Akash Deep said in an interview with Aaj Tak.
Akash Deep's words follows in the mantra set by head coach Gautam Gambhir, who has long fought for the recognition of every single member of the side, and not just one or two stars. Akash Deep has also previously shared the dressing room with Kohli, with the star batter even gifting him one of his bats.
Kohli announced his Test retirement during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season, calling time on a career that saw him become India's most successful Test captain and amass 9,230 runs in 123 Tests.Â
However, India have coped fairly well despite the losses of Kohli and Rohit from the Test setup. Gill led from the front, scoring 754 runs in five Tests - the second-highest run-tally by an Indian in one series in the history of Test cricket.
KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja also scored more than 500 runs in the series, while Rishabh Pant made 479, missing the final Test due to injury. Yashasvi Jaiswal made two centuries and Washington Sundar made one, making it a memorable series with the bat for the visitors.
On the other hand, India's pace attack found its moment to shine despite the absence of Jasprit Bumrah. Mohammed Siraj finished as the top wicket-taker of the series with 23, while Akash Deep took 13 and Prasidh Krishna scalped 14.
India Cricket Team
Virat Kohli