by The English captain Ben Stokes said on Tuesday that he “loves” to watch Rishabh trousers playing cricket, even if he is at the reception end of the outrageous stroke of the India star.
Pant was only the second Wicketkeeper in the test history, which in both innings of a game against England in Headingley achieved hundreds, although his heroic deeds could not prevent defeat with five winds last week, which the hosts opened 1-0 in a five-match competition.
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The 27-year-old trousers made his intentions clear when he stormed the playing field to the second ball, to which he opposed Leed’s, on the field, and drove Stokes for four-a-one shot, which brought an admiring grin from the English skipper.
Stokes, who aggressively strikes himself aggressive, expects more fireworks from Pant, even if he hopes to limit the runs of the Indian after scores of 134 and 118.
“Although he is my opposition, I absolutely love to see Rishabh Cricket playing,” Stokes told reporters in a press conference before the game on the eve of the second test at Edgbaston on Wednesday.
“I love it as he takes in all the formats of the game. He has a bit of stick in his time, but this kind of talent, if it leaves this type of talent, it happened last week.
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“If you look back last week and, two hundred in the game, we know that we can look a little different with the way Rishabh plays with the way Rishabh plays.
“He is a very dangerous player. We know what he brings to the Indian team, but I really enjoy seeing Rishabh Cricket.”
Stokes asked if he was prepared for more in Birmingham and replied: “I don’t think the way Rishabh takes over will give a lot of change.”
– ‘More pressure on India’ – –
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A relatively youthful India team, in which the new captain Shubman Gill led from the front, was in a game that England had won that most of the time in Headingley was competitive after he had scored the tithing chase in test history with 371.
But the trimmings of 7-41, after they had been 430-3 and 6-31 from 333 to 4, proved to be expensive for India in Leeds.
“You are a good team,” said Stokes on Tuesday. “They always fight hard, come hard, a very passionate team.”
No cricket team faces such an intensive examination as India, which has now lost seven of its eleven tests under coach Gautam Gambhir, in view of the mass enthusiasm for sport in the most populous nation in the world.
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“I think it is pretty clear that there is always pressure on the shoulders of international athletes,” said Stokes. “But playing for India, especially in cricket, there is probably a little more of it than any other nation. But we don’t take anything from last week for granted.
“We tried to achieve a performance there (Headingley). Hopefully we can use one here that will bring us 2-0 this week.”
JDG/KCA/BSP
