England off-roader Ben Stokes revealed on Monday that he and his teammates suffered a sudden weight loss during the fourth and final Test against India. This was after a stomach illness hit the tourists just before the match.
England lost the four-round series 1-3 after being beaten by one inning and 25 runs last week.
“The players are totally committed to England and I think that was emphasized last week when some of us suffered from an illness that made operating in 41 degrees heat particularly exhausting,” Stokes told Daily mirror.
“I lost 5 kg in a week, Dom Sibley 4 kg and Jimmy Anderson 3 kg, among others. Jack Leach would go off course between bowling periods and spend more than ideal time in the bathroom. “
“This is by no means an excuse, because everyone was ready to play, and India and Rishabh Pant especially produced a tremendous performance, but my hat is off to the effort put in by the players who gave everything they had to try and win for England, ”Stokes added.
England’s performance in the Test series drew much criticism from former players, but Stokes commented that it is important to let go of the past and focus on the near future.
A tough series against a great team. Congratulations to India! We move on ?????????????? pic.twitter.com/UhTWP6xfO2
– Ben Stokes (@ benstokes38) March 7, 2021
“The experts have a job to do and that’s fine. But their responsibility is not to make us better players and a better team. That’s our job and that’s what we have to focus on, ”Stokes said.
“The opinions that really matter are those of your captain, your coaches and your teammates who are trying to make the team and you as a player the best they can be.”
“For many guys, this was their first tour of India and it has been a steep learning curve, but that is an integral part of being a cricketer at this level. The next test is how you react to those moments, ”he said.
“I would not want any player, especially a young man like Ollie Pope, Zak Crawley or Dom Sibley, to leave this tour and think that they are not good enough to be here. They definitely are. “
“I’ve been through times like this in my career and your confidence can be affected by a tour like this … you have to use disappointment to the best of your ability to motivate yourself to improve.”
England will play India in a five-game T20 series starting March 12.
(With PTI inputs)
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