IND vs ENG: We shouldn’t label that as positive or negative - Ben Stokes on Virat Kohli’s absence
IND vs ENG: We shouldn't label that as positive or negative - Ben Stokes on Virat Kohli's absence
In less than 24 hours, England will take on India in the third Test match at Rajkot as the two nations prepare to face off for the third time in the five-match Test series. Ben Stokes, England captain will be playing his landmark 100th Test match on Thursday (Feb 15) at the Niranjan Shah Stadium and is focused on his side to register a win in the absence of Virat Kohli. However, Stokes claims that they won’t take anything for granted and will not label that as positive or negative heading into the match.
Stokes opines on Kohli’s absence
"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," Stokes said in the video posted by the ECB.
England will enter the third Test match having returned from Abu Dhabi after a one-week break. They were away for warm training in the UAE and only returned to India on Monday. During the period it was also announced that Kohli won’t participate in the rest of the series due to personal issues. The former India captain was initially out for just two matches but on Saturday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed Kohli’s absence from the entire series.
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England announce Playing XI
England made wholesome changes to their Playing XI for the third Test match against India as the visitors recalled Mark Wood. The pacer having played the opening Test against India in Hyderabad was recalled after England decided to field two pacers for the third red-ball contest in Rajkot. This equation resulted in Vizag debutant Shoaib Bashir missing out on a place in the Playing XI.
Having won the opening Test by 28 runs in Hyderabad, the visitors were given a reality check by India after Yashasvi Jaiswal’s double ton and Jasprit Bumrah’s smart bowling in Vizag. India won the Test by 106 runs and will enter Rajkot with intentions of back-to-back wins having levelled the series at 1-1.
