"We got a positive out of losing" - Ben Stokes looking forward to series decider
Ben Stokes is relishing the opportunity to play in the series decider against India, terming England's loss in the fourth T20I as 'positive'.
With one eye on the upcoming T20 World Cup, England will not get many chances in the next six months to play a game that will replicate the pressure of a World Cup fixture.
England fell short by eight runs while chasing 186 for the win in the fourth T20I. Ben Stokes top-scored for the visitors, but he got out in the 17th over, tilting the balance in Team India's favor.
Speaking after the game in a press conference, the English all-rounder was looking at the positives from the defeat.
"In an ideal world, we would have loved to have gone into the next game, having won the series, and it sounds weird saying it, but we got a positive out of losing. We go into the next game with a huge amount of pressure on our shoulders as a team because whoever wins that game wins the series. It's a final," said Ben Stokes.
Stokes further added in this regard:
"That's great for us as a team, especially with a T20 World Cup coming up. The more pressure situations we are put into as a team, the better we'll be for it. We want to win, and we want to make a habit of winning."
Ben Stokes' 46-run knock on Thursday was surprisingly his second-best score in T20Is. The England all-rounder, who is known for his destructive batting, is yet to score a fifty in his T20I career.
Ben Stokes praises Jofra Archer for claiming career-best T20I figures
Jofra Archer starred for England with the ball in the fourth T20I, returning with figures of 4-33 in his four overs. The pacer also kept England in the match with some lusty blows late on before Shardul Thakur held his nerve to help India win the contest.
Ben Stokes said Jofra Archer's performance was not surprising as he had made a habit of coming up with such influential displays.
"He's a fantastic bowler - he's got raw pace and a huge amount of skill, and he's really showing that off this series. Bowling at the top of the order and at the death, there's no harder thing for a bowler to do, but he's prevailed every time. The things he does on the field are becoming less surprising, especially with a white ball in his hand," Stokes added.
The series decider will be played on Saturday at the same venue in Ahmedabad.