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NEW DELHI: England captain ben stokesOn the eve of his 100th Test appearance, he adopted a modest attitude, downplaying the importance of milestones and expressing excitement for the upcoming key match against India.
Stokes will be the 16th England player to reach the milestone when he leads the team in the third Test against India in Rajkot on Thursday.
Stokes also addressed analysis suggesting that the absence of Virat Kohli and KL Rahul from the series could be advantageous for England. Kohli was ruled out of the entire series due to personal reasons, while Rahul is recovering from a quadriceps injury sustained in the first Test in Hyderabad.
Stokes did not seem particularly pleased with the idea that the absence of these key players could give England an advantage, emphasizing the challenges that still lie ahead in the next match.
“KL suffered an injury in the first match and that kept him out. I said the other day that if Virat is not here, I don’t like him being used as a benefit for us or a disadvantage for India,” Stokes said. of England training.
“There are some specific reasons why he is not playing in this series and that should be left in place rather than an advantage or disadvantage for either side.”
“I wish Virat everything that is happening and all our good wishes from the team. You want the best players to play and he is one of them. I hope he returns to the field very soon,” he added.
‘Milestones are what they are’
During the pre-match press conference, Stokes attempted to downplay the hype surrounding his achievement, stating that “milestones are what they are.”
Despite his attempt to remain modest, he acknowledged the special nature of the occasion and expressed his anticipation for the theatrical aspect that comes with playing such an important match against a star-studded Indian team.
“Milestones are what they are. I have always enjoyed playing against India because of the competition, the theater it brings,” he said in a brief response when asked about his opinion on the match.
The series is currently tied 1-1 after England won the first match in Hyderabad before India bounced back to claim the second in Visakhapatnam.
Stokes said his mind is focused on decoding the conditions and having a solid strategy for the crucial game.
“You look down and there are some cracks coming together. Only time will tell if they will come into play. (I) don’t want to have too many preconceived ideas about the pitches, but you do have to have some kind of idea. which informs the XI that you choose,” he said.
India saw its fortunes improve in Vizag thanks to a superlative grazing effort Jasprit Bumrahwho grabbed nine wickets on a sports track.
‘There are no special plans for Bumrah’
Asked if England will have any special plans for the bowler, Stokes said: “No, not really.”
“Jasprit Bumrah is an amazing bowler. He has proven that for a long time and has performed very well in both games. I think everyone has to follow their own path not to try to deal with Bumrah, but we have to score runs .him too and that’s what we’ll try to do,” he said.
“But when that doesn’t work, you just have to give credit to the pitcher and Jasprit has been outstanding in the first two games. We all have our own processes against each pitcher and there is no team way to play against anyone.
“But, as we always try to do, we will try to keep our attention on our surroundings,” he added.
‘England’s past experience influenced Wood’s inclusion’
Stokes mentioned that England’s previous experience at the venue, having played a Test there in 2016, along with the characteristics of the pitch, influenced the decision to replace Spinner. Shoaib Bashir with pacemaker wood frames.
This decision suggests that England’s strategy for the upcoming match is tailored to the conditions they anticipate at the venue, with the inclusion of an additional pace bowler to exploit the pitch characteristics effectively.
“Taking a little knowledge from the last test we played here a long time ago. It was a pretty flat ground and looking at it today I think it looks good,” he said.
“Bringing in an additional closer is the option we have chosen because we believe it will give us the best chance to win this week. Baz (coach Brendon McCullum) gives all the good and bad news and I’m there for the players to (have) more conversations about it.
“Bash (Shoaib Bashir) played incredibly well in his first game for England, he will take it in his stride, he is a young lad and obviously no one has played every game possible,” Stokes added.
On how he would use his bowlers in the match, Stokes said that they should only aim to get wickets.
“…every time you have the ball, think about taking a wicket for every ball… Obviously, having an extra seamer this week will definitely allow us to use Woody’s skills in a different way than the first game when he was the only one .closer.
“The way Jimmy (Anderson) bowled last week showed his class and that he can do it anywhere in the world no matter the conditions.
“Tom (Hartley) has performed very well on this trip, not only with the ball but also with the bat, and when someone has the confidence that Tom has right now, you want to give him the ball as often as possible.” . he said.
(With PTI inputs)
Stokes will be the 16th England player to reach the milestone when he leads the team in the third Test against India in Rajkot on Thursday.
Stokes also addressed analysis suggesting that the absence of Virat Kohli and KL Rahul from the series could be advantageous for England. Kohli was ruled out of the entire series due to personal reasons, while Rahul is recovering from a quadriceps injury sustained in the first Test in Hyderabad.
Stokes did not seem particularly pleased with the idea that the absence of these key players could give England an advantage, emphasizing the challenges that still lie ahead in the next match.
“KL suffered an injury in the first match and that kept him out. I said the other day that if Virat is not here, I don’t like him being used as a benefit for us or a disadvantage for India,” Stokes said. of England training.
“There are some specific reasons why he is not playing in this series and that should be left in place rather than an advantage or disadvantage for either side.”
“I wish Virat everything that is happening and all our good wishes from the team. You want the best players to play and he is one of them. I hope he returns to the field very soon,” he added.
‘Milestones are what they are’
During the pre-match press conference, Stokes attempted to downplay the hype surrounding his achievement, stating that “milestones are what they are.”
Despite his attempt to remain modest, he acknowledged the special nature of the occasion and expressed his anticipation for the theatrical aspect that comes with playing such an important match against a star-studded Indian team.
“Milestones are what they are. I have always enjoyed playing against India because of the competition, the theater it brings,” he said in a brief response when asked about his opinion on the match.
The series is currently tied 1-1 after England won the first match in Hyderabad before India bounced back to claim the second in Visakhapatnam.
Stokes said his mind is focused on decoding the conditions and having a solid strategy for the crucial game.
“You look down and there are some cracks coming together. Only time will tell if they will come into play. (I) don’t want to have too many preconceived ideas about the pitches, but you do have to have some kind of idea. which informs the XI that you choose,” he said.
India saw its fortunes improve in Vizag thanks to a superlative grazing effort Jasprit Bumrahwho grabbed nine wickets on a sports track.
‘There are no special plans for Bumrah’
Asked if England will have any special plans for the bowler, Stokes said: “No, not really.”
“Jasprit Bumrah is an amazing bowler. He has proven that for a long time and has performed very well in both games. I think everyone has to follow their own path not to try to deal with Bumrah, but we have to score runs .him too and that’s what we’ll try to do,” he said.
“But when that doesn’t work, you just have to give credit to the pitcher and Jasprit has been outstanding in the first two games. We all have our own processes against each pitcher and there is no team way to play against anyone.
“But, as we always try to do, we will try to keep our attention on our surroundings,” he added.
‘England’s past experience influenced Wood’s inclusion’
Stokes mentioned that England’s previous experience at the venue, having played a Test there in 2016, along with the characteristics of the pitch, influenced the decision to replace Spinner. Shoaib Bashir with pacemaker wood frames.
This decision suggests that England’s strategy for the upcoming match is tailored to the conditions they anticipate at the venue, with the inclusion of an additional pace bowler to exploit the pitch characteristics effectively.
“Taking a little knowledge from the last test we played here a long time ago. It was a pretty flat ground and looking at it today I think it looks good,” he said.
“Bringing in an additional closer is the option we have chosen because we believe it will give us the best chance to win this week. Baz (coach Brendon McCullum) gives all the good and bad news and I’m there for the players to (have) more conversations about it.
“Bash (Shoaib Bashir) played incredibly well in his first game for England, he will take it in his stride, he is a young lad and obviously no one has played every game possible,” Stokes added.
On how he would use his bowlers in the match, Stokes said that they should only aim to get wickets.
“…every time you have the ball, think about taking a wicket for every ball… Obviously, having an extra seamer this week will definitely allow us to use Woody’s skills in a different way than the first game when he was the only one .closer.
“The way Jimmy (Anderson) bowled last week showed his class and that he can do it anywhere in the world no matter the conditions.
“Tom (Hartley) has performed very well on this trip, not only with the ball but also with the bat, and when someone has the confidence that Tom has right now, you want to give him the ball as often as possible.” . he said.
(With PTI inputs)