'Painful Memories: Broad recalls Lord's defeat to Virat Kohli-led India, hints 2025 will be batter's 'last tour'

India are in a buoyant mood following their impressive 2-0 Test series triumph over Bangladesh. Up next, they will face New Zealand in a three-match home Test series before the highly anticipated showdown against Australia in November. This much-anticipated five-Test series between India and Australia will likely determine the finalists for the ongoing World Test Championship cycle, as the two teams currently lead the standings.

As part of the next World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, India’s first major overseas assignment in 2025 will be a blockbuster away tour to England, where they will face off in a five-Test series. With memories of their 2021 encounter still fresh, excitement is already building for what promises to be an unforgettable contest.

Stuart Broad, the recently retired England legend, has weighed in on the upcoming clash. Reflecting on the fiercely competitive 2021 series, which saw India claim a dramatic victory at Lord’s, Broad emphasised just how much that result stung the England dressing room.

“Don’t underestimate how much it hurt England when India won at Lord’s (in 2021) and drew the series. It was an aggressive test match, Mohammed Siraj bowled fantastically well on the final day, a drier pitch and just getting that bit of movement," Broad said at an event to support the launch of Inside Lord's, as quoted by Nottingham Post.

“It was an amazing, emotional Test match to watch, and I know how much that hurt the England dressing room. Equally, it was very joyous for India to come here - we saw the joy on Kohli’s face and how much that meant to him. I think it’s going to be an absolute crackerjack of a series.”

But perhaps the most intriguing aspect of Broad’s comments was his bold claim that this series could mark Virat Kohli’s last tour of England.

Broad stated that Kohli, who will turn 36 this year, will likely tour England for the last time in his celebrated cricketing career when India arrive for the five-Test series.

“This could be Virat’s last tour of England,” said Broad.

“They’ve got so much talent and so much depth and England are slightly more youthful and less experienced but have a huge amount of talent and play this front-foot style of cricket."

Virat Kohli has already bid adieu to the T20I format, and Rahul Dravid, the Indina head coach, hinted earlier this year that Kohli is targeting the WTC medal – the only major ICC trophy missing from his cabinet. During the celebrations after India's T20 World Cup win, Dravid told Kohli, “3 whites ticked, one red to go.”

The series, which will kick off on June 20, 2025, in Leeds, will be one to savour as two of cricket's heavyweights clash in what Broad predicts will go down to the wire. As he summed it up, “If the weather plays ball, I think it will be 2-2.”