England captain Ben Stokes is on the verge of a big milestone in his Test career as he set to don his 100th cap during the India vs England Test in Rajkot on February 15. In the pre-match press conference, Ben Stokes remarked that ‘milestones are what they are’ but showed anticipation for the ‘theatre’ of facing a star-studded India in the marquee game.
Stokes is set to become the 16th England player to reach 100 Test appearances as he leads the side in the third Test against India.
Stokes on 100th Test milestone
"Every Test is just as important as the next one. Then there's the next one, which will be 101 - it's just one more," he said.
"It's a sign of longevity, but 99, 100 or 101 doesn't make much difference. It's just a number.”
"Milestones are what they are. I've always enjoyed playing against India because of the contest, the theatre it brings," he said in a brief reply when asked about his thoughts on the match.
The series is currently tied at 1-1, with England clinching the opener in Hyderabad before India retaliated with a victory in Visakhapatnam.
Stokes went on to say that his primary focus is on understanding the conditions and devising a solid strategy for the crucial game.
"You look down and there's a few cracks that meet up. Only time will tell if they will come into it. (I) don't want to have too many preconceived ideas about pitches, but you do have to have some sort of idea that informs the XI you pick," he said.
Stokes noted that England's previous encounter at this venue during a Test match in 2016, along with the characteristics of the pitch, led to the decision to replace spinner Shoaib Bashir with pacer Mark Wood.
"Taking a bit of knowledge from the last Test we played here a long time ago. It was a pretty flat wicket and looking at it today I think it looks good," he opined.
Ben Stokes on getting wickets
Regarding his approach to using the bowlers in the match, Stokes said that their primary objective should be to focus only on taking wickets.
"...whenever you've got the ball, think about taking a wicket every ball...Obviously having an extra seamer this week will definitely allow us to use Woody's skillset in a different way to the first game when he was the only seamer,” the 32-year-old skipper added.
"The way in which James Anderson bowled last week, he showed his class and that he can do it anywhere in the world regardless of the conditions.”
"Tom (Hartley) has performed so, so well on this trip not only with the ball but also with the bat and when someone has confidence like Tom has at the moment, you want to give them the ball as often as you can," Ben Stokes concluded.
England's Playing XI for 3rd Test:
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (C), Ben Foakes, Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, James Anderson.
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