England vice-captain Ollie Pope believes the young Indian side, led by a “fantastic” Shubman Gill, has plenty of depth and talent, but it will miss the aura of Virat Kohli during the upcoming five-Test series starting in Leeds on June 20. India have named a youthful squad for the high-profile series following the Test retirements of stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. “It’s a young team, but these Indian players they have got so much depth and talent,” Pope told talkSPORT Cricket.

“So they’ve got a lot of young guys coming through; a lot of good players. Shubman Gill, their new captain, is a fantastic player. They will miss the aura of Virat Kohli standing at slips and chirping away.

“But they have got some good talent, so they will feel confident. But our players are ready for it.” India have not won a Test series in England since 2007, having lost in 2011, 2014 and 2018, while the 2021-22 series ended in a draw.

“It’s a great time for us to play India”

Pope emphasised the importance of the upcoming India series for England, calling it vital preparation in the lead-up to the Ashes later this year.

“It’s a great time for us to play India. Last summer, we had the West Indies and Sri Lanka, but with India coming over, the level of quality that they will bring is a great way for us to focus on that and not look too far ahead.

“So yeah, for us, it’s the perfect time to play India, and then once the Ashes come around, it will be exciting.”