England captain Ben Stokes has insisted there will be no let-up from his side when they face India just days after whitewashing Test world champions New Zealand.
A first series under the new leadership duo of Stokes and red-ball head coach Brendon McCullum, a former New Zealand captain, ended with an emphatic seven-wicket win in Leeds on Monday that sealed a 3-0 triumph over the Black Caps.
For the third time in as many matches, England made light of a potentially tricky run chase, with Jonny Bairstow ending a pursuit of 296 by smashing a six on his Headingley home ground. England, however, have just a few days to savour their success before facing India at Edgbaston in a match starting Friday.
The fifth Test was rescheduled after the fixture was postponed last September following a Covid outbreak in the India camp. India are currently 2-1 up in a five-match series following a 157-run win at the Oval but are now set to face a revitalised England side likely to feature only four survivors at most from that match -- Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Bairstow and James Anderson -- later this week.
"Regardless of the opposition, we're still going to have the same mindset," Stokes told reporters after stumps in Leeds on Monday.
The dynamic all-rounder, on a mental health break from cricket at the time of the fourth Test against India, added: "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."
England had won just once in 17 Tests prior to the New Zealand series, albeit many of those matches were played under mentally-draining coronavirus restrictions that no longer apply.