Ind vs England: England players battling illness, “do” weight loss, says Ahmedabad Heat, Ben Stokes

Star England all-rounder Ben Stokes has revealed that he and his teammates suddenly lost weight during the fourth and final Test in Ahmedabad against India after the tourists suffered a stomach injury before the match. England lost the four-Test series 1-3 after trailing by an innings and 25 runs in the final match. Stokes told the UK’s Daily Mirror, “The players are fully committed to England and I think that was emphasized last week when some of us suffer from a particularly taxing disease in 41-degree heat They went.”

“I lost 5 kg a week, Dom Sable 4 kg and Jimmy Anderson 3 kg among others. Jack Leach was ducking off the field between bowling spells and spending more time in the toilet than ideal.”

Rishabh Pant and Washington Sundar scored 101 and 96 respectively to guide India to 365 in their first innings. The hosts returned to dismiss England for 135 runs to win the match.

“This is by no means an excuse, because everyone was ready to play, and India and Rishabh Pant produced a particularly spectacular performance, but I take my hat off my effort which was put on by those players Who had to try to give everything “a win for England,” Stokes said.

The England team drew a lot of flack from former players after their performance in the Test series, but Stokes said it was important to shut it down to focus on improving the game.

“The pundits have a job to do and that’s fine. But their responsibility is not to make us better players and better teams. It’s our job and that’s what we have to focus on,” Stokes said.

“The opinions that really matter are your captain, your coach and your teammates who are trying to make the team and you as good a player as you can.”

Stokes said that losing in this way could erode the confidence of young players in the team.

“For many people this was their first tour of India and it is a difficult learning curve, but that is part and parcel of being a cricketer at this level. The next test is how you react to those moments,” he said. said. .

“I don’t want any players, especially young boys like Ollie Pope, Zuck Crowley or Dom Sibley, leaving the tour thinking they are not good enough to be here. They certainly are.”

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“I have done this many times in my career and your confidence can knock off the tour in this way … You have to use the frustration in the best way that can inspire you to improve.”

England will play India in the five-match T20 series starting on 12 March.