Ind vs Eng: Not looking to bat in the top-order in T20Is, says Stokes
Mar 25, 2021
Pune (Maharashtra) [India], March 25 : England all-rounder Ben Stokes on Thursday said he is happy with the T20I batting line-up of the side and is in no mood to promote himself up in the order.
Stokes played at number three in the first ODI of the series while in the 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL) he opened the innings for his franchise Rajasthan Royals.
"I don't think so. Look at the T20I batting line-up, everyone deserves to be where they deserve to play. We have been formidable in the white-ball cricket format and why would we change that? It is a talk-in point and always seems to pop-up but everyone deserves to be where they are at batting line-up. Just because we lost the T20I series doesn't mean that we need to start changing things around. I'm happy where everything is with our white-ball team because that's our best format to win," Stokes said in a virtual press conference.
When asked about his favourite format of the game, Stokes said "playing a Test match for England is one of the better feelings".
Stokes feels that pacer Jofra Archer took the right decision to head back home and nurse his elbow rather than playing in the ODI series and in the upcoming IPL.
"We are not sure how much Jofra is going to play a part for us (Rajasthan Royals) if any. One thing that you need to be very mindful of is that Jofra does need to give his elbow a chance to recover. He is putting his all England commitments before everything else. I'm happy that he is going back and is having well deserve rest. He actually getting his elbow properly solved because it is tough having that injury and then solved and getting through it again. I think for the long-term of his career, this is a very very sensible option for him to take," he said.
The second ODI between England and India will be played at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium on Friday.
