England Test captain Ben Stokes expressed his excitement about the upcoming series against India but emphasized that their immediate focus is on the one-off encounter against Zimbabwe, which begins on May 22 at Nottingham. Ben Stokes stated that the team will shift its attention to the India series when it comes closer.
England will face Zimbabwe in a one-off Test at Nottingham and then followed by a five-match Test series against India which will start on June 20 at Headingley, Leeds. Ben Stokes acknowledged that the English summer will be both challenging and lengthy. He added that the series against India will be significant, and the team is fully aware of the gravity of the challenge that lies in facing the two-time World Test Championship finalists.
Team India likely to announce a new look squad for England test series on May 24
India will be without the services of legends Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli when they take on England in the five-match Test series, starting June 20. Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket on May 7 while Virat Kohli quit red-ball cricket on May 12. India’s batting will lack much-needed experience in their absence.
Rohit Sharma was India’s best batsman on the previous England tour and scored 368 runs. Virat Kohli was India’s captain in the 4 Tests played in 2021. India returned home with a 2-1 lead. India will surely miss their best performers in the high-octane Test series.
You can never take any Indian team lightly- Ben Stokes
England captain Ben Stokes has said that they cannot take India lightly despite the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from the longest format of the game. Rohit and Kohli left from Test cricket earlier in May as the Indian side will undergo a major transition, starting with the England tour.
India will be announcing their squad and new Test skipper likely on May 24. Despite the absence of Kohli and Rohit for the series, the England captain was still wary of the threat posed by the Indian batters. Speaking to the ECB’s official website, Ben Stokes said that India has incredible depth when it comes to batters.
“We always look to get at the opposition during a Test and we look and see how we can adapt. They have had two big retirements in Rohit and Kohli, who have been such an important part of the Indian team and all the success that they have had. But India’s battery of batters is just incredible.”
“When I have spent time in the IPL, they have batters coming out of their, can’t say that word on the interview, but you know what I mean. You can never take any Indian team lightly despite the fact that they’re without two of their greatest batters,” said Ben Stokes.
Ben Stokes said that India are a very good team wherever they go in the world. The England skipper said that for now, they’re looking forward to the one-off Test against Zimbabwe and once that is done, will look at the India series
“India are a very good team wherever they go in the world. We will be focused on the Zimbabwe game now, but as we get closer and closer to the India series, our focus will shift to them. It will be a long tough summer. We know what we have got,” said Ben Stokes.