Leeds, June 18 -- England's bowling all-rounder Brydon Carse believed India will field a "strong" playing XI despite the "massive" loss of the batting bigwigs Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the first Test of the five-match series, which kicks off on Friday at Headingley.

India was left bereft of its batting wizards for the five gruelling Tests in England after Rohit and Virat bid adieu to the red-ball format last month. With the addition of Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair, the tourists infused youth and new skills into the squad to compensate for the lost experience.

Even though India is missing heavy artillery from its arsenal, which has done the job for them in the last decade, Carse believes the depth and quality of Indian cricket will...