"It's not a no" - Ben Stokes hints at resuming bowling in IND vs ENG 4th Test
England skipper Ben Stokes has strongly hinted at bowling in the fourth Test against India as the visitors find themselves under pressure after losing heavily in Rajkot. The seam-bowling all-rounder revealed that his knee condition has progressed a lot more quickly than he thought.
Stokes hasn't bowled in the three Tests of the ongoing series and was unlikely to do so, having undergone surgery recently for his dodgy knee. However, the 32-year-old might need to do it, given the inexperience of England's bowling attack.
Speaking to the media after England's 434-run loss in the third Test on February 18, the star cricketer said he wanted to bowl in Rajkot. But he admitted it would have been risky, saying, as quoted by Sky Sports:
"I have managed to get my first bowl at 100 per cent in the warm-up. I'm not going to lie, I feel really great. I felt like I could have bowled in this game but that would have been stupid.
"As a person I like to jump the gun a little bit but things are feeling really good. I have a whole body to get used to bowling again. It's not a yes - but it's not a no either. I have progressed a lot faster than I thought I would."
The Durham all-rounder has decent numbers with the ball, taking 197 wickets in 100 Tests at 32.07. However, he last bowled in professional cricket during the Lord's Test of the 2023 Ashes series.
"It's about what we do the next two games" - Ben Stokes
Stokes believes England must learn from their disappointment instead of letting it consume them. He said after the third Test of the series:
"Losing games for England isn't where you want to be but games are won or lost in the head. You've got to learn from disappointment but use it in a positive way, not let it eat you. I know that thinking too deep into certain things can send you on a downhill spiral. It's about what we do the next two games."
England need to win the last two Tests to clinch the series, with India leading the five-match series 2-1. It will be interesting to see if they make changes to their playing XI for the fourth Test against India, which will start on February 23.