With an Ashes series in Australia to follow in the winter, the start of the much-anticipated five-match series against India signals the beginning of a run of 10 Tests which will define Stokes’ reign as captain.
Stokes, though, was keen to refute any suggestion England would have an eye on Australia while playing India.
“We will come to that when we come to that but for us right now it’s about focusing on these five games that we’ve got coming up against India,” he said.
The series also comes at an intriguing time for Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum with England having won four and lost four of their past eight matches.
With their aggressive approach, they have reached remarkable highs – there were notable victories in their first year in charge against New Zealand, India and Pakistan – but series wins against West Indies, Sri Lanka and New Zealand over the past 12 months have also been interspersed with awful defeats.
Stokes says the squad have had “honest conversations” about how to improve.
“I don’t think defensive frame of mind is the right way of saying it,” Stokes said.
“I think it’s just being smarter in those situations when it’s obvious that the opposition is on top of us at that moment and they have got the upper hand on us.
“‘What do we need to do to wrestle that momentum back towards us so then we can start putting the pressure back onto them?’.”
