'You don’t massively miss someone that averages 33' - Former England skipper takes cheeky dig at Virat Kohli's absence from upcoming ENG vs IND Test series

Former England captain Michael Vaughan took a cheeky dig at Virat Kohli. Vaughan opined that Team India will not miss the service of Virat's batting in the England vs. India 5-match Test series, starting from today (June 20).

Ahead of the first match in Headingley, Leeds, the former cricketer, now a cricket expert, made some bold remarks about Virat Kohli. After the retirements of Ravichandran Ashwin and Rohit Sharma, Kohli probably was all set to travel with the team for this series in England. Some reports even suggested that the board had the plan, with Virat Kohli at the center for this crucial Test series.

The series will mark a new cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC). Before that, back-to-back retirements pushed the team into a sudden transition phase. While many cricket fans and critics already started to miss Virat before the series, Vaughan's opinion sounds different.

Read More: IND vs ENG, 1st Test: Probable playing XI, Head to Head and Headingley stadium stats

He said, "Kohli is a legend and a culture creator around this Indian team, and what he brought as a captain to the team is still there in terms of the energy and the drive and the aggression. But he only averaged 33 here in the UK. You don’t massively miss someone that averages 33, but you miss someone that brings so much to the dressing room." 

Vaughan beleived on the new generation without Virat

The cricket expert and commentator acknowledged Virat's presence was undeniable on the field and in the dressing room. He also addressed the time when Virat was in charge of leading the team in the Whites. But he also believed that without some of the star players, the new generation has the capability to do well in England.

"These players that are going to come in and play for India, they’re seriously good players. Maybe this new generation has been waiting. Maybe they’ve been waiting for this moment. Don’t be surprised that they play really well". Vaughan added.