The test series between India and England is done and dusted with the hosts beating the visitors 1-3. And up next is the five-match T20 series that starts on March 12. Ahead of the short-format game, England cricketer Ben Stokes has revealed that he and several of his teammates got ill during the final test which made it harder for them to play in the Ahmedabad heat.
A tough series against a great team. Congrats to India! We move on 🏴🏴 pic.twitter.com/UhTWP6xfO2
— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) March 7, 2021
The Indian Express quoted all-rounder saying,
“Players are totally committed to England and I think that was emphasized last week when a few of us went down with illness that made operating in 41-degree heat particularly taxing. I lost 5kg in a week, Dom Sibley 4kg and Jimmy Anderson 3kg among others. Jack Leach was ducking off the field in between bowling spells and spending more time than is ideal in the toilet.”
NDTV quoted him adding,
“This is in no way an excuse, because everyone was ready to play, and India and Rishabh Pant especially produced a terrific performance, but I take off my hat to the effort that was put in by players who gave everything they had to try and win for England.”
“Pundits have a job to do and that’s fine. But their responsibility isn’t to make us better players and a better team. That is our job and that is what we have to focus on. The opinions that really matter are those of your captain, your coaches and your team-mates who are trying to make the team and you as a player as good as you can be.”
“For a lot of guys this was their first tour of India and it has been a steep learning curve, but that is part and parcel of being a cricketer at this level. The next test is how you react to those moments. I wouldn’t want any player, especially a young lad like Ollie Pope, Zak Crawley or Dom Sibley, leaving this tour and thinking they are not good enough to be here. They most definitely are.”
India Today quoted him saying,
“I have been through times like this in my career and your confidence can take a knock from a tour like this … you have to use the disappointment in the best way you can to motivate you to improve.”
Earlier, several former England players had criticized the pitch in Ahmedabad for being spin-friendly. What do you think of this development?