A lean and fit Ben Stokes has reiterated England’s penchant for playing aggressive cricket ahead of the five-Test series in India.

Stokes’ new look has been likened to “more and more like Vincent van Gogh with every passing year” by Mike Atherton. The England captain has shed up to 10kg as part of his rehab process following his recovery from knee surgery.

Stokes also confirmed that he won’t be bowling in this series and justified their ploy of playing only one fast bowler in Mark Wood.

“I don’t necessarily think it’s bold or brave, it’s just me and Baz (McCullum) looking at the wicket and picking the XI that we think will give us the best chance,” Stokes said on Wednesday. “It’s very exciting for Tom Hartley to make his Test debut. I’m looking forward to seeing him out there, and captaining him. He’s been very impressive in the build-up in Abu Dhabi. It’s a team based around what we think will give us the best chance of winning this game.

“You have always got to think that the ball is going to turn in India but you don’t want to go in with any preconceived ideas. We have to adapt to whatever we have presented in front of us, with bat and ball.”

Stokes, 32, said that Wood’s selection was due to his ability to generate reverse swing.

“When you go with one seamer, you look at the impact you want out of that seamer. What Woody brings with his high pace, he is a real impact bowler. If we can get the ball swinging, him bowling in the 90mph with a reverse-swinging ball, (it) will be very difficult to play against.

“He’s a weapon we can use in short, sharp spells. We’ve already said that to him:
‘Bowl as fast as you can in short periods’.”