Ben Stokes says enough is enough, puts an end to chatter around Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ashwin's absence

Hindustan Times

5 hours ago

England captain Ben Stokes has had enough of the chatter around India missing Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin and Rohit Sharma now that the three of them have retired from Test cricket. On the eve of the series-opener against a relatively young Indian side led by first-time captain Shubman Gill, England's experienced all-rounder put an end to the narrative of 'India being weakened' by the absence of Kohli, Ashwin and Rohit.
"There's been a lot said about no Rohit, no Virat and no Ashwin, that doesn't mean that we think it's going to be any easier than what it ever is against India. The pool of talent that Indian cricket has is just ginormous," Stokes told the media during the pre-match press conference.
Ashwin was the first to retire in the middle of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier this year. Rohit, India Test and ODI captain, called it quits from red-ball cricket last month, and Kohli did the same five days later.
Stokes said any team would look pale when players like Ashwin, Kohli and Rohit retire one after the other but India continue to produce high-quality players regularly.
"Although Virat, Rohit and Ashwin have done amazing things for their country on the field, that doesn't mean that whoever comes in to replace those individuals are going to be any less hard to bowl at or bat against, just because of how big the pool of talent is in India.
"We've spent a lot of time out at the IPL, so I know that there's a lot of it. Obviously, three massive names, three people who have done wonderful things for their country, but it is not going to be any easier for us because of those three big names out there," Stokes added.
Stokes acknowledged Jasprit Bumrah will be a threat to the English batting line-up but added that his side won't be focused entirely on handling the Indian ace."Bumrah leading their attack, he's a fantastic bowler but there (are) 11 players on the team, and it takes a team to win a game of cricket," he said when asked if the focus of the fans will be on Bumrah given Kohli and Rohit are not a part of the touring party.
"But we know Bumrah is an amazing bowler all around the world. His record shows that, wherever he goes, he does well. We know Bumrah is going to be a threat, but we know that every other bowler that India has is also going to be a threat.
"Focusing on one individual over another isn't what we're going to be doing, but obviously, you pay respect to your opposition, and Jasprit Bumrah certainly is a fantastic bowler," he added.