Ahead of an arduous five-Test series against India, England skipper Ben Stokes has ensured that his team is not looking down on the visitors – despite the lack of some of their biggest stars.
Speaking before the series opener in Headingley, Stokes spoke on the story of India’s team that will do without the big guns of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. With many questioning India’s competitiveness in the absence of these veteran players, Stokes was quick to shoot down any suggestion that England will have an easy time.
“All the talk is about who isn’t playing – Rohit, Virat, Ashwin – but that doesn’t mean we’re thinking it’s going to be any easier than any other series against India,” Stokes mentioned. “Everybody knows how rich India’s talent pool is. Whoever fills in to replace them will be just as hard to play against.”
India will be embarking on a new era in this series, with Shubman Gill becoming the Test captain after Rohit Sharma’s retirement from the game. Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant will be vice-captain, as the team makes way for a new youth leadership core. Although relatively less experienced in the captaincy roles, both players have proved promising and resilient in the past.
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Stokes, who has shared dressing rooms with some of the Indian players in IPL seasons, said he is quite familiar with India’s young guns’ skill levels. “I’ve hung around with some of these boys in the IPL. They’re incredibly talented. We know this is going to be a difficult contest still,” he mentioned.
One great asset India still possess in their toolbox is Jasprit Bumrah. Even though the star fast bowler is only likely to feature in three of the five matches because of workload management, his availability could be decisive. Bumrah’s capacity to win matches with flashes of brilliance in brief sessions puts him at the center of the visitors’ bowling attack, even if used judiciously.
England enter the series having defeated Zimbabwe by a single Test, although they will be apprehensive of the test India presents to them – particularly after their 4-1 loss in the subcontinent earlier this year. For Stokes and his men, this series also represents the beginning of their World Test Championship (WTC) 2025–27 campaign.
“We’re not looking ahead to the Ashes right now,” Stokes clarified. “Our full focus is on these five Tests. Playing India is always a challenge – five back-to-back matches is tough on the body and mentally demanding too. But that’s where our focus is.”
This series will also mark the first encounter where England’s highly-talked-about ‘Bazball’ philosophy is put to the test against India on home ground under Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum. The aggressive style of cricket has been a mixed bag but is still the cornerstone of England’s red-ball strategy.
Even without some of its household names, India still have a squad full of promise, and Stokes is not going to underrate them. With both sides hoping to establish the tone for their WTC campaigns, the scene is set for a fiercely contested and engrossing series.
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