RAJKOT: Set to feature in his landmark
100th Test
,
England
captain
Ben Stokes
on Wednesday said he always enjoys playing against India because of the “theatre it brings”.
Stokes also said he is not bothered about the fanfare around his milestone Test and only wants to focus on England going 2-1 up in the series.
“Milestones are what they are. I’ve always enjoyed playing against India because of the contest, the theatre it brings.
I’m looking forward to getting the presentation done and dusted, then everything can be focused on the cricket. I’m proud to say that I’ve been able to play a part in 100 Tests, because it’s quite a lot — it’s a lot of warm-ups. It’s one more game and hopefully there’s a lot more to come,” Stokes said.
“There have been some great times in an England shirt and some not so great times. That is what’s great about professional sport. I’ve been able to make sure every day is a learning day. Later down the line, when I’m a bit older, I’ll have more of a chance to reflect.”
‘We were confident Rehan would get visa’
Stokes also expressed his relief that England’s young leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed’s visa issue was resolved in quick time. He lauded the airport authorities in Rajkot and the Indian government and cricket board (BCCI) for their intervention.
Ahmed, who has Pakistani roots, had a single-entry visa when the England team arrived in Rajkot from Abu Dhabi. After he was granted a temporary visa, the 19-year-old completed his paperwork on Wednesday.
“For any individual having to wait for that (visa) is always an anxious period, but thankfully, we got it through this morning, and great job from the guys at the airport for giving him his visa, and everyone at the BCCI and the government. We do not have to worry anymore about those issues. We were very confident that we would get the visa for Rehan before the game started,” said Stokes.
This was the second time visa issues have cropped up for England in the series. Just before the start, off-spinner Shoaib Bashir was forced to fly back to London from Abu Dhabi after a delay with processing his visa.
‘Kohli not playing shouldn’t be labelled as positive or negative for England’
On Virat Kohli’s absence, Stokes said, “I think I said the other day that Virat not being here, I don’t like it being used as a benefit to us or a disadvantage to India because obviously there’s some specific reasons as to why he’s not playing. I think it should just be left at that as opposed to whether it’s an advantage or disadvantage to any side.”
English (US) ·