England captain Ben Stokes has given a measured response when asked about how is his team taking the absence of Virat Kohli in the ongoing Test series.
The 35-year-old India superstar who had earlier pulled out from the first two Tests, citing personal reasons, has also made himself unavailable for the remainder of the series as he continues to tend to a family emergency.
Ben Stokes, who is set to play his 100th Test match in the third Test in Rajkot, said he doesn’t think of Kohli’s absence as a positive or a negative and sent his best regards to the former India captain.
Stokes, who has had intense battles with Virat Kohli over the past decade, acknowledged that Kohli not being on the field is a loss for the sport.
“I don’t mean to say anything disrespectful to the question. I think when it’s situations like these, when someone is missing a big series and a lot of cricket due to personal reasons, which we are not sure of, we shouldn’t label that as positive or negative to our team.” Ben Stokes said in a video posted by the ECB.
“We should just let it be. It’s a broader loss for cricket. I wish Virat whatever he is going through all the best, I wish he comes through it. Virat Kohli, on a cricket field, is something that everybody wants to see.”
In Kohli’s absence, KL Rahul batted at number 4 in Hyderabad and Shreyas Iyer in Vizag. Now with Rahul injured and Iyer dropped, India will have a new number 4 in Rajkot. Sarfaraz Khan is likely to make his Test debut on Thursday.
It’s just a number: Ben Stokes on playing 100 Test matches
Stokes will become the 16th England men’s player to feature in 100 Test matches. The 32-year-old considers every Test equally important.
“It’s just a number. I don’t want it to sound like I’m not thankful for the opportunities I’ve had, but with milestones, it’s not done until it’s done. 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. It’s a sign of longevity, but 99, 100 or 101 doesn’t make much difference,” the all-rounder said.
Also Read: ‘Guys Run Out Of Energy’: Amid Criticism From Indians, Ishan Kishan Gets Support From AB de Villiers
