Ben Stokes stated that he don’t see Virat Kohli’s absence as any sort of advantage for his side and the ‘drama’ of playing in the country on the eve of the third Test against India. Ben Stokes added that he didn’t want to consider whether the absence of the star batsman helped the visitors in their current Test series against India in order to respect Virat Kohli’s privacy.
At first, Kohli had chosen to miss only the first two Test matches, citing personal reasons. His final decision to sit out the entire series was accepted by the BCCI, nevertheless. Stokes expressed the opinion that Kohli’s absence should not be interpreted as a good or bad thing and wished him luck in overcoming his current concerns.
The Indian squad has been greatly affected by Kohli’s absence, as the host’s batting attack has been felt. India has unable to outbate England in the first two Test matches due to a young batting lineup.
Virat Kohli, on a cricket field, is something that everybody wants to see- Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes addressed Virat Kohli’s absence in the following manner in a video that the ECB put up on their website:
“I don’t mean to say anything disrespectful to the question. I think when it’s situations like these, when someone is missing a big series and a lot of cricket due to personal reasons, which we are not sure of, we shouldn’t label that as positive or negative to our team,”
The first two Test matches demonstrated the inexperienced Indian batting side without Virat Kohli, as they failed to completely bat the opponents out of the game. Shubman Gill (22 Tests) is the most experienced batter in the Indian lineup after Rohit Sharma (56 Tests), while KL Rahul is also out of the third Test.
“We should just let it be. It’s a broader loss for cricket. I wish Virat whatever he is going through all the best, I wish he comes through it. Virat Kohli, on a cricket field, is something that everybody wants to see,” Stokes added.
Every Test is just as important as the next one- Ben Stokes on the 100-Test milestone
On Thursday, January 15, Ben Stokes will take the field in Rajkot for his 100th Test match. Even though it was a significant moment in his career, Stokes insisted that he was totally focused on the task at hand and that he would eventually have time to seriously consider his path.
The following is what the BBC cited him as saying:
“It’s just a number. I don’t want it to sound like I’m not thankful for the opportunities I’ve had, but with milestones, it’s not done until it’s done. Every Test is just as important as the next one. Then there’s the next one, which will be 101 – it’s just one more. It’s a sign of longevity, but 99, 100 or 101 doesn’t make much difference,”
Only one change has been made to England’s starting lineup from the Visakhapatnam match. Mark Wood, a the speedster, has taken the position of young off-spinner Shoaib Bashir. Ben Stokes would really like to win in Rajkot to remember his 100th Test match.