Our Bureau
London
India has a blockbuster series coming ahead of them as they get ready for the upcoming England tour. The team is in a bit of a turmoil as they are looking out for their next test captain. Even after losing their two veteran players in Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, India is not a team that can be taken lightly and England captain Ben Stokes knows that too well.
Stokes, who is returning from a hamstring injury, talked about the upcoming series. He laid emphasis on how the absence of Virat Kohli in the Indian team will affect them and how the team will miss his fighting spirit, competitiveness and desire to win. Stokes explained how he shared Virat’s love towards the game and it will be a shame that they won’t be facing each other anymore.
The English captain said in a video posted by the England and Wales Cricket Board, “What India would miss maybe is his fighting spirit out in the game, his competitiveness, desire to win. He’s made No.18 (jersey) his, hasn’t he? So, we haven’t seen No.18 on the back of any Indian shirt. It’s going to be a shame not to be playing against him because we both playing against each other, we both have the same mindset on the field. No doubt there’s been a lot of praise for him in India, there’s definitely been praise for him from players here. He’s done really well against England… he’s a class player.”
He also talked about how the Indian team will be missing their star batsman in Kohli but their batting strength can never be doubted. Stokes pointed out how he has been part of the Indian Premier League and has seen the batting talent that India possesses.
Stokes said, “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.”
India will be announcing their squad for the England tour in a few days. The major buzz around the team announcement is regarding who is going to be named the captain of the Test team. The two names that are currently in the race of test captaincy are Shubman Gill and Jaspreet Bumrah. The rumors have been suggesting that selectors are looking at Gill as the future captain of the Indian Test Team.
