Leeds: As England gears up for the first Test in a five-match series, captain Ben Stokes acknowledged the absence of seasoned players Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and R Ashwin. He emphasized that this does not simplify the challenge for the hosts against a talented Indian squad led by Shubman Gill.

Rohit and Kohli recently retired from Test cricket, while Ashwin concluded his international career last year during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.

With Gill's leadership marking the start of India's new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle at Headingley, the team faces the daunting task of stepping into the shoes of their legendary predecessors while maintaining a forward-looking approach.

"There’s been a lot said about no Rohit (Sharma), no Virat (Kohli) and no Ashwin. That doesn’t mean that we think it’s going to be any easier than it ever has been against India. The pool of talent that Indian cricket has is just ginormous," Stokes remarked during a press conference ahead of the series opener.

"So, 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 out back in just because of how big the pool of talent is in India. I’ve spent a lot of time out of 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’s not going to be any easier for us because of those three big names out here," he added.

Stokes reiterated that the team's focus is solely on the series against India, without looking ahead. "Well, look, I think first and foremost, obviously it’s five games against India that we’re focusing on. We know it’s going to be tough, as always against India. Five Test matches are very demanding on the body. So, yeah, we’ll be focusing on these five games first," he stated.

Regarding Chris Woakes leading the pace attack in the first Test, Stokes highlighted his importance to the team.

"Since me and Baz (Brendon McCullum) have been together, I don’t think we have lost a game when Chris Woakes played. Good to have him. So, again, that just proves how valuable a cricketer is to any team that he turned out for. I think he, being the leader of the attack, is going to thrive off that responsibility. And, yeah, he’s a quality critic, as you know, the relentless that he has with the ball, whether that be a new ball or a ball," he added.

Stokes, who returned to competitive cricket last month after recovering from a left hamstring injury, expressed that he feels "great" physically.

"Physically, well, I mean, when I was 20, I didn’t even know what stiffness or anything was. Obviously, now, 34, you know, everything is just naturally just a little bit harder to do," he remarked.

"But I’ve worked hard to be where I am here today and, you know, physically where I’m at. It’s great, you know, ready to go and just a bit more sensible, I guess, about my build-up. You know, work hard for, you know, the first two training days, two days out, and then, you know, sort of very, very chill than like the day before, just to make sure that everything is going to go come game day," Stokes concluded.