"We just beat the best team in the world 3-0" - Ben Stokes says England won't change playing style against India
England skipper Ben Stokes has asserted that the hosts will not change their brand of play in the one-off Test against India, which starts in Birmingham on Friday (July 1). Claiming that England recently beat the “best team” in the world 3-0, the all-rounder asserted that they are focused on putting their best foot forward against the Indians.
England hammered New Zealand 3-0 in a Test series at home that concluded recently. The series was Stokes’ first assignment as full-time Test captain and also Brendon McCullum’s first series in charge as the team’s Test coach.
At a pre-match press conference ahead of the rescheduled Test at Edgbaston, Stokes opened up on the challenge of facing India. He stated:
"Well, we just beat the best team (New Zealand) in the world 3-0. India is obviously a completely different opposition, different dynamic of a team but we are concentrating on ourselves. We understand what we do well but we have also taken into account who we are playing against. Just because the opposition changes doesn't mean we change."
On whether England have the potential to play an even more attacking brand of cricket than they did against the Kiwis, the 31-year-old boasted:
"If there's a team that can, it's us."
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Stokes was not part of the previous Test series against India as he was on a mental health break. Asked for his views on the 2021 series, the cricketer candidly replied:
"To be honest, I wasn't even watching cricket last summer. I didn't watch most of it (India-England matches). But the thing with India is, the way Virat (Kohli) led India in Tests, was something to watch. So yeah, looking forward to the contest again.”
India were 2-1 up after four matches against Joe Root-led England when the final Test, scheduled to be played at Old Trafford in Manchester, was canceled due to COVID-19.
“We want people to enjoy watching us play” - Ben Stokes on Birmingham Test
A win against India at Edgbaston will see England draw the five-match series 2-2. Stokes admitted that a victory in the Test would be crucial but asserted that he is looking at the bigger picture, keeping England’s growth as a Test nation in mind.
"We still obviously know that we need to win this game to draw the series. We obviously want to win every game we play but it is bigger than that. I think what we managed to do over the last three weeks is just reshape Test cricket with the way we played. We want people to enjoy watching us play. I think people are enjoying watching us play because they don't know what they are going to get.”
Stokes played his part with the bat in England’s 3-0 win over New Zealand, smashing 194 runs at an average of 48.50 and a strike rate of 82.55.