&w=3840&q=100)
Ben Stokes' recovery plan post two gruelling 10 over spells vs India
'Recovery first, then back to business,' says Stokes
Reflecting on the physical toll of his 44 overs at Lord's—including demanding nine- and 10-over spells—Stokes shared that rest was his highest priority over the past week. He said his post-match promise of getting straight into bed was no exaggeration, joking that it felt like he was in a long-distance relationship with his family due to the amount of time spent recovering at home.
The England skipper described how important it was to listen to his body after such a heavy workload, but also confirmed that he's ready to take on the same responsibility again if conditions demand it. He noted that during those long spells at Lord's, he just felt 'really good'—his rhythm was there and the ball was coming out nicely, which gave him the confidence to carry on, even though the wickets didn't always reflect the effort.
Physical signs of progress and preparation
Stokes admitted that such long spells weren't always enjoyable in the moment but said the satisfaction came from doing everything possible to help the team win. He saw his ability to deliver them as a sign of how much physical progress he had made in recent months, crediting the training and preparation leading into the series. He admitted that the ability to bowl at high intensity without issues gave him confidence that his body could now withstand such pressure when needed.
He added that much of the recovery between matches had been 'sensible management' of workloads and allowing tired bowlers the time to fully regroup.
England keeping changes to a minimum
Stokes confirmed that Chris Woakes would continue in the line-up, saying that it was a simple decision given Woakes's effectiveness and all-round value. With a long break after the Lord's Test, there was no serious need for rotation. He also praised Liam Dawson, who returns to the Test XI eight years after his last appearance. While Stokes acknowledged that nerves are natural for someone returning after so long, he was confident Dawson's domestic and white-ball performances have shown he's ready.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
17 minutes ago
- First Post
Former England cricketer supports Shubman Gill as he slams Zak Crawley for Lord's episode: 'This was particularly poor'
India captain Shubman Gill has found support in a former England cricketer, who has criticised Zak Crawley for his conduct during the Lord's Test. He also slammed the umpires for their inactions. read more Former England cricketer Mark Ramprakash has sided with Indian captain Shubman Gill after his aggressive behaviour against Zak Crawley on Day 3 of the Lord's Test was questioned by experts and fans. Gill was seen throwing expletives at Crawley as the opener tried to delay the Jasprit Bumrah over. With very little time left, India were hoping to bowl at least two overs, but Crawley's time-wasting tactics limited them to a single over. That Crawley vs Gill spat changed the complexion of the whole match as both sides became more aggressive in their approach before India lost the match by a narrow margin of 22 runs, going down 2-1 in the five-match series. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Also Read | Manchester weather forecast: Rain could spoil Shubman Gill-led India's party at Old Trafford On the eve of the fourth Test in Manchester, Gill , explaining that he had good reasons to lose his patience on that evening at Lord's. Mark Ramprakash sides with Gill in battle vs Crawley Former England batter Mark Ramprakash, in his Guardian column, slammed Crawley for his antics and also criticised the umpires for losing control of the match 'Batters at the end of a long day are always prone to pulling away or tying up a shoelace, but this was particularly poor and it really exposed the umpires, who throughout the match seemed most intent on keeping quiet and not getting involved,' Ramprakash wrote. 'On the Saturday, I watched England bowl for an hour, by the end of which they were four overs behind the rate, at which point they had the most leisurely drinks break. It seemed to take forever as the players milled around, had a chat, and sat down for a bit. There was no urgency at all, and the umpires just let it carry on,' he added. Also Read | Anjum Chopra exclusive on Shubman Gill's captaincy and Lord's Test defeat Ramprakash also reflected on Gill's behaviour, saying that while he didn't like what he saw, it gave a glimpse of how united Team India were. 'Many people would say Crawley was just being professional, doing whatever it took to help his side, and if the umpires weren't bothered, then carry on. But I thought he pushed things too far and what can happen then, and did happen, is the opposition taking umbrage and discipline started breaking down," Ramprakash wrote. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Shubman Gill, the India captain, got quite animated, and to be honest, I didn't know he had that in him. Importantly, he was backed up by the rest of his players – it is in moments such as this that you see how together a team are. While I was not a fan of what happened, Gill saw his team were right there with him and showed real togetherness,' he added.
Business Standard
21 minutes ago
- Business Standard
England vs India Playing 11 LIVE UPDATES, 4th Test: Sai or Shardul - Who will replace Reddy in XI?
In the fourth Test of England vs India Test series, also known as Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, captain Shubman Gill has to make a big selection call ahead of toss at 3:30 PM IST, at the Old Trafford in Manchester today. India trailing the five-match series 2-1 and need to make at least two changes in their Playing 11 given Nitish Kumar Reddy and Akash Deep, who played third Test, are injured. While Reddy has been ruled out of the series, Akash is not available for selection for 4th test. The injury cloud around the Team India means, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah set to play the Manchester Test, a decision largely dictated by the series situation. Third seamer slot wide open With Akash Deep unavailable, the third fast-bowling slot remains undecided. Vice-captain Shubman Gill indicated that a final call will be made just before the toss, with the choice between Prasidh Krishna, who has already featured twice in the series, and newcomer Anshul Kamboj, who recently joined the squad in the UK. Rain forecast forces rethink on spin options Given the weather forecast predicts persistent rain throughout the match, the team management is also assessing the need for an additional spinner. This adds another layer of complexity to the already tricky selection process. Middle-order shifts on the cards Batting changes are also expected, with Nitish Reddy likely to be replaced by a specialist batter, possibly Sai Sudharsan. However, the larger dilemma lies in balancing the lower-middle order. The team must decide whether to retain Washington Sundar for his all-round abilities at No. 8 or bring in Shardul Thakur to bolster the seam attack. Dawson returns as England announce Playing XI Meanwhile, England have taken a more straightforward route, announcing their playing XI in advance. Their only change from the Lord's Test is the inclusion of Liam Dawson, who replaces the injured Shoaib Bashir. The 35-year-old Dawson, making his first Test appearance since 2017, brings left-arm spin to the attack and strengthens the batting unit with his impressive record of 18 first-class centuries. Squads: England Squad: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes(c), Jamie Smith(w), Liam Dawson, Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell. India Squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Anshul Kamboj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Prasidh Krishna, Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel.
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Manchester calling: Glenn McGrath-inspired Anshul Kamboj ready for Test bow
If you were Anshul Kamboj, chances are you weren't expected to find yourself as the name on everyone's lips ahead of the Manchester Test. After all, the pacer had been sent home after India A's tour of England as Harshit Rana was called up as injury cover for the first Test. But right after the Lord's Test loss and in the build-up to the match in Manchester, India found themselves in big Kumar Reddy was ruled out of the series and Arshdeep Singh suffered an injury to his bowling hand. To add salt to the wounds, Akash Deep, who has taken 11 wickets in two matches, was ruled out of the Manchester Test due to a groin issue. That meant Anshul came in as cover, and it now seems like he is being thrown into the deep end. Shubman Gill, during the press conference, more or less confirmed that the pacer is in line for a debut, and it will be a toss-up between him and Prasidh Krishna."We (Anshul Kamboj) have seen him enough. He knows exactly what we want. He is there because he knows that he can win us the match. Yes, it is not ideal to go back after every match and have a different combination. But yes, he is very close to making a debut. It will be a toss-up between him and Prasidh," Shubman said. If you look at Gill's words from the presser, the standout line is the pacer knowing his role and what is expected of was something R Ashwin also spoke about regarding the Haryana pacer on his YouTube channel, saying that he knows the plans well and even comparing his approach to that of Zaheer Khan and Jasprit Bumrah."The appreciable thing about Anshul is that he understands the plan. I've seen so many fast bowlers who, when asked about the plan, simply say they want to express themselves and enjoy the game," Ashwin said."But Anshul knows the plans and how to execute them in the middle. That's not a trait many fast bowlers possess. Zaheer Khan had it – he was amazing. In recent times, Jassi (Bumrah) is another who understands the plan and executes it to perfection. Anshul belongs to that variety. I'm not comparing skills, because that's a different thing."Knowing the England ConditionsIf you've followed Anshul's first-class career and journey through the cricketing ranks, one of his standout traits has been his consistent length and his ability to bowl long spells. You don't have to look further than his incredible 10-wicket haul in the Ranji Trophy game against Kerala last year to see what he's capable than that, it's probably his recent experience playing in England that could become a key factor. The pacer picked up 5 wickets in 4 innings during the India A vs England Lions matches, but many felt he was the best bowler on display and deserved his coach Satish Rana said, the man is eager to make full use of the opportunity and show the world what he can do."Sir, I know the conditions. I've played there for India A.' He's desperate to get out there and perform for the team. He's still a kid, and he's getting valuable guidance from Gambhir sir and Bumrah. He asked them a lot of questions. Finally, he's where he always wanted to be," said Rana to is something Sanjay Manjrekar also agreed with, as he feels the Manchester conditions will suit the youngster."I think his bowling style will suit the conditions expected. At Manchester, they're saying, we have overcast conditions. The pitch is good for batting, but there's pace and bounce. So India would want to have somebody who is solid in his line and length. Prasidh Krishna has played before and has been left out because of his performances. So there's no point in bringing him back because he was left out on current form and performance. So worthwhile trying with somebody like Anshul Kamboj," said Calm and Smooth Operator With a Tinge of McGrath AggressionAs a pacer who focusses on line and length, there's no better role model than the legendary Glenn McGrath. Kamboj was able to learn a lot from the Aussie legend during his time at the NCA, doing what any aspiring bowler would do — study McGrath's spells and apply them to his own bowling."He is a big fan of Glenn McGrath. Bowls just like him. He watches McGrath's videos, especially his wicket-taking spells, and tries to apply that in his own bowling. Meeting McGrath at the NCA was a dream come true for him. It changed his life and completely transformed his approach to bowling," said Anshul's coach Read: ENG vs IND 4th Test, India predicted XI: Kamboj to debut, still no place for Kuldeep?Now, McGrath may have been nicknamed 'Pigeon', but he had a steely aggression behind those calm eyes — something Anshul seems to possess as like McGrath had aggression in his eyes, he does too. In fact, there's even more aggression in his bowling than in his eyes," said there's also a calmness to the young pacer — something instilled in him by none other than MS Dhoni."He has learned the art of staying calm from MS Dhoni, especially under pressure. He's naturally a calm-headed person. Dhoni advised him to remain composed in all situations and never lose his cool," said that's the perfect mix you need at the highest level. And it's exactly what the Indian team is hoping for from their newest pace prospect. So what should we expect from the man from Haryana?"Just watch what he does at Old Trafford. I don't want to overhype it. But bowing his head, listening to coaches and seniors, and applying that in his game — that's Anshul's strength. He's a good kid," said that could prove to be the difference if India win the Test in Manchester and level the series.- EndsMust Watch
