Ben Stokes cautions India ahead of Edgbaston Test

England’s new Test skipper Ben Stokes has warned India ahead of their rescheduled fifth Test match at Edgbaston. The southpaw said that the Three Lions would continue to go with the same mindset against a top-quality Indian side which has been dominant in the longest format since early 2021.

Stokes’ comments came after England’s seven-wicket win over the reigning World Test champions New Zealand in the third and final match that was played at Headingley, Leeds. With the victory, England register a 3-0 whitewash against the Kane Williamson-led side having won the previous two games comprehensively.

We’ll be concentrating on what we’ve done well over these last three games: Ben Stokes

“Regardless of the opposition, we’re still going to have the same mindset,” Stokes told reporters during the post-match media interaction. “Obviously, it’s going to be a completely different… different opposition, with their attack and players as well.”

“We’ll be concentrating on what we’ve done well over these last three games and look to continue that against India on Friday,” Stokes further added.

In order to revive the fortunes of England in red-ball cricket, the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) named  Stokes as their new captain in the traditional format and roped in former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum as the Test coach. The move paid rich dividends straight away as the Three Lions have succeeded in registering their first Test series victory after January 2021.

Meanwhile, India are desperately looking for a captain after Rohit Sharma tested positive for COVID-19. Things have become a bit complicated due to vice-captain KL Rahul’s unavailability after being ruled out for a prolonged period of time due to a groin injury that he suffered earlier this year.

Nonetheless, a spirited Indian team would be hoping to put all those distractions aside as they look forward to registering their first Test series victory in England after the 2007/08 season.