Ben Stokes cautious of not taking Indian team lightly in Test series despite Rohit-Virat retirements
Team India will be without Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for the first time in so many years in Tests when they travel to the UK to face England in a five-match series. However, England skipper Ben Stokes is not ready to take the visitors lightly.
India are set to tour England in a five-match Test series starting from June 20. This will be the team's first assignment after the Test retirements from Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. BCCI is yet to announce the squad for the England tour, even as the selectors are also pondering over the next Test captain. No wonder, India will miss Kohli and Rohit both in the UK but England skipper Ben Stokes is not ready to take the visitors lightly.
He recalled the time he spent during different Indian Premier League (IPL) seasons and noted that the country has loads of talented batters. He has cautioned his team to not take the Test series for granted despite India missing two of their greatest batters. "One thing about India is their battery of batsmen; it is just incredible. The time I've spent in the IPL, they've got batters coming out of there... can't say a word on this in this interview but you know what I mean.
"You can never take any Indian team lightly even if the fact that they are without two of their great batsmen," Stokes said in a video posted by England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). Stokes himself is making a comeback after being on the sidelines since December 2024 after suffering a hamstring injury during the series against New Zealand. He has worked hard to gain full fitness and stated that he has put in a lot of effort to be back on the field again playing for his country.
"Very excited to get going. Last game was in December. Everything's gone really well. Worked very hard to get to where I am. There's a lot of excitement around me, getting back on the field," the England skipper added.