'He can contribute with bat and ball': Monty Panesar names one player England are missing against India

Ben Stokes was ruled out of the series after he decided to take a time off from cricket to prioritise his mental well being.

To say England cricket team is absolutely struggling against India in the ongoing Test series would be an unfair statement. There have been moments when the Joe Root-led side have managed to put the Virat Kohli-led team on the backfoot. Root has already struck two centuries in the series, and England bowlers have done well against India's middle-order.

England's cricket team in training. (AP)

But despite all the better moments, England have struggled with their tactics and made some costly errors that have resulted in them falling a peg or two behind India. The final day of the Lord's Test between the two teams saw a topsy-turvy affair, with India, going from the brink of a late-order collapse and losing the match to bowling out England and winning the Test.

As the third Test starts from Wednesday, former England cricketer Monty Panesar believes the hosts are missing the presence of Ben Stokes, who took a break from all forms of cricket to "prioritise his mental well-being".

"I think India have got a chance to keep up the lead. They continue to be aggressive. Once you have gone into such a position in the fray, India have put England on the backfoot. They would put pressure on England," Panesar told Inside Sport.

"England are missing Ben Stokes. If you see, India being on the front foot, the inclusion of Ben Stokes would have enhanced England when they were in struggle. He can contribute with the bat and the ball," he added.

"Depends on India, if India goes on a back foot, it will be nice to England. This I think will bring them back into the game. India needs to be on the front foot now. England didn’t expect that the battle would go so hard on them. They may come back in all hostility," he signed off.