England’s red ball vice-captain, Ollie Pope, is preparing to play a key part in the upcoming five-match Test series against India. The first Test is planned at Headingley, Leeds. India will be without the talents of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who declared their retirement from the longest format last month.

Pope stated that India’s young team, which has been selected for the highly anticipated England tour, possesses a wealth of potential and depth. However, the 27-year-old stated that India will miss Kohli’s aura and frightening presence while stationed at slips, shouting at opposing batters.

“It is a young team, but the Indian players have a lot of depth and talent. So they have a lot of young kids coming through, and they’re good players. Shubman Gill, their new captain, is an excellent player.

They will miss Virat Kohli’s aura, standing at slips and chattering away.

But they have some good talent, so they will be confident. But our players are ready,” Pope stated in an interview with cricket.

Furthermore, the Chelsea-born player stated that facing a quality team like India will be an interesting test and will serve as excellent preparation for the Three Lions, who will play the Ashes later this year in Australia.

“It’s an excellent opportunity for us to play India. Last summer, we had the West Indies and Sri Lanka, but with India coming here, the level of quality that they will offer is a terrific opportunity for us to concentrate on that rather than looking ahead. So, for us, it’s the ideal time to play India, and then the Ashes will be fantastic,” Pope said.

Ollie Pope’s issues with India

Pope would like to improve his record against India in the upcoming series. The right-handed batter has only scored 615 runs in 25 innings against the Asian giants, with a terrible average of 24.60. Interestingly, three of Pope’s four ducks in Test cricket have been against India.

Pope was not at his best in the 2024-25 season, scoring only 249 runs in 10 innings with an average of 24.90. However, he returned to form last month with a 166-ball 171 against Zimbabwe in a four-day Test at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.