"He has money in the bank" - Ben Stokes backs Jonny Bairstow to come good in remaining IND vs ENG Tests
England skipper Ben Stokes has thrown his weight behind batter Jonny Bairstow, who is struggling for form in the ongoing Test series against India. The all-rounder claimed that he wouldn't judge batters over a short period but on their long-term contribution to the team's cause.
Bairstow is facing intense scrutiny ahead of the fourth Test against India in Ranchi, which begins on Friday, February 23. The wicketkeeper-batter is yet to score a half-century in the series and returned with scores of 0 & 4 in the recently concluded Rajkot Test. Overall, he has managed just 102 runs in six innings so far.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Stokes highlighted that Bairstow has been an integral part of their Test resurgence and thus deserves to be backed. As quoted by The Cricketer, he said:
"If batters have a tough time over a short period, it will come under scrutiny don’t look at it like that. I look at what Jonny has contributed for a long period of time since I've been captain. He has money in the bank, he's a quality player. He's someone who has been very integral to what we have done."
Following England's 434-run defeat in Rajkot, head coach Brendon McCullum also backed Bairstow to come good in the final two Tests.
"I also feel having two seamers gives us a good chance" - Ben Stokes
Stokes explained right-arm seamer Ollie Robinson's inclusion in place of Mark Wood for the Ranchi Test. He claimed that the former's accuracy and release point should help him on a spin-favoring pitch. The England skipper explained:
"You look at the player Mark is, especially with the ball, you want someone like that operating at 100 per cent. You want to be able to keep players like that on the field operating at that level. Bringing Robbo in gives us good options, especially looking at this wicket. I feel like the spin will be assisted but I also feel having two seamers gives us a good chance purely because of Ollie Robinson's release height and his relentlessness with his areas."
The visitors have made two changes for the fourth Test, bringing in Robinson and Shoaib Bashir for Mark Wood and Rehan Ahmed.
Here's their playing XI for the upcoming Ranchi Test:
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes (wk), Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir, James Anderson, Ollie Robinson.