England captain Ben Stokes has shared that they cannot take India lightly despite the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from Test cricket. However, Rohit and Kohli left Test cricket earlier in May as Team India will undergo a major transition, starting with the England tour.

However, India will be announcing their squad and new Test skipper soon. Despite the absence of Kohli and Rohit for the series, Ben Stokes, the England captain, was still wary of the threat posed by the Indian batters as well.

Speaking to the ECB’s official website, Stokes said, “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.”

ALSO READ: “I did get a couple of hints” – AB de Villiers on Virat Kohli’s Test retirement

“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,” again said Stokes.

Ben Stokes also said that India are a very good team wherever they go in the world. He also said that for now, they’re focusing on the one-off Test against Zimbabwe, and once that is done, they will look at the India series as well. Notably, India’s tour of England will begin on June 20 in Headingley.

“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,” concluded Ben Stokes.