'It feels so good when both of them are not there': Rishabh Pant is relieved with absence of retired James Anderson-Stuart Broad ahead of first Test against England

India's star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is relived about the fact that he won't have to face England's legendary pacers James Anderson and Stuart duo in the upcoming Test series against Ben Stokes' brigade which is set to start from June 20.

Rishabh Pant on James Anderson-Stuart Broad's absence in England tour

James Anderson recently joined his fellow pace bowler Stuart Broad in retiring from international cricket. These two legendary bowlers have been instrumental to England's success in Test matches, having collectively taken an astounding 1,308 wickets throughout their careers. Their retirement marks the end of an era for English cricket.

While India did achieve a 4-1 victory against England in a Test series played on home soil last year, their record in England has been less formidable. The last time India managed to win a Test series in England was back in 2007. For many years, the formidable new-ball bowling partnership of Anderson and Broad proved to be a significant challenge for the Indian batsmen, often hindering their progress in English conditions.

"It feels so good when both of them are not there. They have been there for England for so many years, and I have only come here for two tours. But at the same time, they have enough ammunition in the England bowling line-up, we don't want to take anyone lightly because our team is also young and still looking to develop themselves. We are going to play our cricket and respect the bowlers, and the opposition when needed," Pant told a pre-match press conference at Headingley.

"There's no hiding away from the fact that, over a number of years, England have had Broad and Anderson as the main two bowlers, so it (the bowling line-up) is slightly more inexperienced. I think it's a good chance for a couple of younger players, with slightly less experience, to stamp down some authority throughout the series," he added.

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England's Test squad sees the return of experienced all-rounder Chris Woakes, who is set to play his first Test match since December. His inclusion will bolster both England's seam bowling options and their batting lineup lower down the order. Joining him in the squad is Durham's pace bowler Brydon Carse. While Carse has featured in five previous Test matches, all of those were away from home, in Pakistan and New Zealand, making the upcoming match his maiden home Test appearance.

England's Playing XI for first Test against India:

⁠Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, ⁠Ollie Pope, Joe Root, ⁠Harry Brook, ⁠Ben Stokes (C), ⁠Jamie Smith (WK), ⁠Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, ⁠Josh Tongue, ⁠Shoaib Bashir

Meanwhile, Harshit Rana has been added to India's Test squad for the England tour

India's squad for England tour:

Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana.