"He's a nightmare to bowl at the nets" - Mark Wood hails Ben Duckett for stunning hundred against India on Day 2 of 3rd Test
England speedster Mark Wood is highly impressed with how opener Ben Duckett caught India off-guard with a sensational knock of 133* off just 118 balls on Day 2 of the ongoing Test in Rajkot on Friday (February 16).
Wood particularly shed light on how Duckett's relentless counter-attack forced captain Rohit Sharma to keep changing his field placements. The pacer agreed that even in the nets session, Duckett doesn't believe in leaving deliveries alone.
Speaking to the reporters after the end of play on Day 2, here's what Mark Wood had to say about Ben Duckett:
"He played with real bravery. To be that far behind in the game and go out and play like that showed real bravery and skill. The way India changed the field and then he'd hit it somewhere else, it was such a skillful innings against a good attack. He's a nightmare to bowl (to) at the nets; we try to get him to leave one but he never leaves any."
England finished strong on Day 2 with their score being 207/2 after just 35 overs. They scored a staggering 176 runs in the final session, with most of the damage done by Duckett.
Ben Duckett put pressure back on India: Mark Wood
Despite this being just the third Test hundred for Ben Duckett, Mark Wood claimed that the southpaw had played several impactful knocks for his side over the past couple of years. He was glad to see the opener finally get the plaudits he deserved.
On this, Wood stated:
"Maybe, he hasn't gotten the accolades that he would like with big scores, but this was his day and it was amazing to watch. It's a rapid outfield and we certainly felt it was tough to contain, and Ducky (Duckett) really took it on and played in an aggressive fashion to put the pressure back on India."
Ben Duckett has Joe Root for company, with the former skipper unbeaten on 9(13). India will need to ensure they strike early on Day 3, or else Duckett could continue to pile more misery on the hosts.