‘We want to win…’: Ben Stokes focused on World Test Championship points despite series loss – Times of India
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India and England will face off in the fifth Test in Dharamshala starting Thursday. India have already secured the series with a 3-1 lead, marking England’s first series loss under the leadership of Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum.
Although the series outcome has been decided, both teams still have the opportunity to earn World Test Championship points in Dharamshala. India currently hold the top position in the championship standings, while England sit in eighth place.Speaking on Tuesday, Stokes expressed the team’s determination to win. He stated, “Well, it is like whenever we play. We want to win this week,” as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
For England, there is no room for complacency as they aim to elevate their performance. Despite showcasing a remarkable fightback against Australia in the Ashes series at home and giving India a tough time in the previous four matches, England failed to capitalize on crucial moments and lost the series.
Stokes clarified, “It is not a mental or a mentality thing. All you can do is work your hardest and try in the nets because that is where you get better.”
Stokes also commended Jonny Bairstow, who will be playing his 100th Test match. He highlighted their long association since age-group cricket and considered the 2022 Test summer, Stokes’ first as captain, as a significant highlight in Bairstow’s career.
However, Stokes humbly refused to take credit for Bairstow’s achievement and emphasized the emotional significance for the batter and his family.
He stated, “I am not the one who is out there doing that. This is probably going to be more of an emotional thing for Jonny than it ever was for me. I do not need to go into details as to why about the whole family. He has got his mom, sister, partner, little baby boy, and some friends here.’
Stokes acknowledged the immense value Bairstow places on representing England, as well as the support from his family. He praised Bairstow’s contributions to English cricket and expressed that he deserves all the recognition leading up to the game and throughout the week.
England are contemplating the idea of fielding a three-seamer attack for the first time during this tour. James Anderson, who is two wickets away from 700 Test wickets, will be playing, while Mark Wood may also make a return for his third match of the series.
Stokes described Gus Atkinson as an ‘exciting talent,’ and Ollie Robinson is expected to retain his spot, despite a subpar performance in Ranchi where he remained wicketless in 13 overs of the first innings and faced a back issue. Robinson did, however, contribute with the bat, scoring his maiden fifty. Unfortunately, his ineffectiveness with the ball and dropped catches proved costly for England as Dhruv Jurel went on to secure victory for India single-handedly.
Stokes defended Robinson, highlighting his impressive Test record of 76 wickets at an average of 22.92 in 20 Tests. He emphasized Robinson’s commitment to the team, even when not feeling 100%.
Stokes said, “You are more gutted for Ollie that something on day one, his back going, which affects the role he can play in the long run. He is more disappointed that he could not help the team out as much as he’d like. With Ollie, we look at the effort he put in as an individual leading up to and on this tour. His work ethic away from playing was very good, and he gave himself the best chance of being in a position to win that game for us.”
Stokes concluded by stating that losing the series does not diminish the significance of playing for England.
He emphasized the team’s focus on each opportunity and warned against complacency, saying, “We have been on so many India tours, you know what it is like when you get to an end of a long one – that sometimes you start thinking about the end of the game. I do not think that anyone is thinking like that because every opportunity we feel at the moment is special to play for England. Because we have lost the series, it does not mean that this game is different to what last week was or the week before. We will think about the plane and getting home when we are at the airport. So I would not be thinking about that whatsoever until the game’s done.”
(With inputs from ANI)
