"He may never play Test cricket at 100 percent fitness again" - Michael Vaughan on Ben Stokes' importance for England against India

Former England captain Michael Vaughan believes that the visitors need Ben Stokes to lead by example with the bat as well as a captain during the five-match Test series against India, which begins on January 25.

Stokes was set to have a knee operation after the Ashes last year but postponed it as he wanted to be available for England's 2023 World Cup campaign. He did undergo the knee surgery in late November and Vaughan understands that the England captain may not be available to bowl.

In his column for The Telegraph, here's what Michael Vaughan wrote about Ben Stokes and his importance to the England team:

"He may never play Test cricket at 100 percent fitness again but England need him at 90 percent after his operation because his batting and captaincy are so vital."

Vaughan also warned England to be wary of world-class Indian batters and also the fact that their spinning all-rounders help them bat deep. He added:

"You cannot give Rohit Sharma a sniff, especially as India’s batting is so deep. On these slow-ish wickets, even India’s lower order can be dangerous."

Despite Virat Kohli's unavailability for the first two Tests, India's batting depth will give them enough confidence to post big scores. The likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Axar Patel add incredible muscle to the lower middle order and are proven performers with the bat in the Indian conditions.

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Michael Vaughan warns Joe Root about being overly aggressive

While most England batters will be playing with the Bazball approach, Michael Vaughan hopes Joe Root will stick to what worked for him the last time he played Tests in the subcontinent.

Claiming that England haven't produced a better batter of spin than Root, Vaughan stated:

"Another hope of mine is that Joe Root does not get sucked into playing overly attacking cricket. I want him to play exactly as he did in 2021 when in Sri Lanka and India, he made three huge scores. That is what England need from arguably their greatest-ever player of spin."

Root scored a staggering 426 runs in two Tests against Sri Lanka away in 2021, helping England win 2-0. He also got off to an incredible start in the Test series against India later that year with a magnificent 218 in Chennai.