Well, we just beat the best team in the world 3-0: Ben Stokes

During a pre-match media brief ahead of the rescheduled fifth Test at Edgbaston, Stokes reflected on his bowlers' performance in the recently concluded series win against New Zealand. 

"It's funny; bowlers have green zones, amber zones, and red zones based on how much work you've done at the end of a Test. Broady (Stuart Broad) said he's created a new zone called the burgundy zone. But that Test match was bigger than the result, as I keep saying. I honestly believe bowling out the best team in the world with three seamers, and a spinner has done everybody the world of good,"

"You've got Broady completely at the other end to someone like Matt Potts' career – he's three games in, but he's started like a house on fire - but doing what they did that whole week was really pushing them to their limits, and making them understand what they are capable of doing,"

England whitewashed New Zealand 3-0 in a Test series at home that concluded recently. The three-match Test series was Stokes' first assignment as full-time Test captain and also new head coach Brendon McCullum's first series in charge.

Ben Stokes' team has earned a lot of praise around for their attacking brand of cricket. On whether England have the potential to play an even more attacking brand of cricket, the all-rounder responded:

"I'm not thinking about self-preservation or any personal gains. This is about Test cricket and sending a clear message; actions speak louder than words. The messaging and mindset we have at the moment was a huge contribution towards Jamie [Overton] playing the way he did last week – a guy going out on debut at 55 for six and playing the way he did was a testament to the way we're going about things,"

"I think everyone is just really enjoying and loving playing at the moment. There's no pressure; everybody's having fun and putting everything on the line. It's great that Jimmy and Broady, who are at the latter stages of their careers, have been rejuvenated by the way we've gone about the summer so far,"

The charismatic all-rounder understands that India is a completely different opposition compared to New Zealand and is aware of the challenges Jasprit Bumrah-led India will pose to the hosts.

"Well, we just beat the best team (New Zealand) in the world 3-0. India is obviously a completely different opposition, a different dynamic of a team, but we are concentrating on ourselves. We understand what we do well, but we have also taken into account who we are playing against. Just because the opposition changes doesn't mean we change," concluded Stokes.