England’s leader, Ben Stokes, has a message for his players. Each of them should come prepared with a unique strategy. Why? They’re going up against India’s top speedster, Jasprit Bumrah. And this is all set for the third Test in Rajkot. The match kicks off on February 15.
Jasprit Bumrah is proving tough for England in the Test series. He’s nabbed 15 wickets with an average of 10.66. His stellar 6/45 in the second Test’s first innings gave India a key 143-run lead. The speedster claimed three more wickets in the last innings. This let India tie the five-match series, making it 1-1.
At the upcoming third Test’s briefing, Stokes took the time to acknowledge Bumrah as an exceptional bowler. He still urged the English players to develop a plan against him.
“Jasprit Bumrah is an unbelievable bowler. He’s proven that for a very long time and has performed really well in the two games. I think everyone has got their own way of trying to deal with Bumrah but we do have to score runs off him as well and that’s what we’ll try to do.”
Ben Stokes
He continued:
“But when that doesn’t work you just have to give credit to the bowler and Jasprit’s been outstanding the first two games. We’ve all got our own processes against every single bowler and there’s no team way of playing anyone. But as we always try to do we’ll be trying to keep the focus around us.”
Ben Stokes
In the second Test, Bumrah quickly snatched his 150th Test wicket, making him the fastest Indian pacer to hit this mark.
Meanwhile, Ben Stokes will play his hundredth Test in Rajkot, but the all-rounder downplayed the significance, saying:
“I’m looking forward to getting the presentation done and dusted, then everything can be on the cricket. I’m proud to say that I’ve been able to play a part in 100 Tests, because it’s quite a lot – it’s a lot of warm-ups. It’s one more game and hopefully there’s a lot more to come. There have been some great times in an England shirt and some not so great times. That is what’s great about professional sport.”
“I’ve been able to make sure every day is a learning day, whether it be good or bad. Later down the line, when I’m a bit older and maybe not playing, is when I’ll have more of a chance to reflect on everything I’ve done on the field.”
Ben Stokes
The 32 year old will be the 16th English player who will Captain England in 100th Tests.
Stokes is only three wickets away from being the third player to reach 6,000 runs and 200 wickets, behind Jacques Kallis and Sir Garfield Sobers.
“1-1 is a fair reflection of the cricket that has been played” – Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes believed a 1-1 tie after two Tests was a fair reflection of how the series has progressed thus far.
England lost the second Test by 106 runs, following a remarkable 28-run victory in the series opener.
“1-1 is a fair reflection of the cricket that has been played in the first two games. The focus is on this game and then everything after that. If we play anywhere near to our capability, we’ll give ourselves a good chance of winning. If we do play good cricket, then the results looks after themselves.”
Ben Stokes
Both teams have a lot at stake, with England having not lost a series since Stokes took over as captain in mid-2022, and India going undefeated in home Test series since 2012.
England have already revealed their playing XI for the Rajkot match, with bowler Mark Wood replacing off-spinner Shoaib Bashir.