Since taking over as England Test captain, Ben Stokes has revolutionized Test cricket. He brought England Cricket back to life after Joe Root-led side went on a nine-match winless run. However, captaincy is a job Ben Stokes says he never aspired to. Instead, the opportunity presented itself. But now, Stokes is enjoying the responsibility and he has already passed the first test, beating India in India in the 1st IND vs ENG Test.
“It’s something I never had any aspirations to do or really thought about too much, to be honest. I never really had too much responsibility around captaining or anything, either in age-group cricket or any other level.
I had a little taste of it with the Durham Academy,” Ben Stokes said on JioCinema.
Enjoying responsibility: Ben Stokes
However, despite his past injury history, the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) presented Ben Stokes with captaincy after Joe Root stepped down. With Brendon McCullum coming in as the coach, England are a new beast now.
“This opportunity presented itself to me and it was something I couldn’t turn down. It’s a role I have grown into, it’s a role that I’ve really enjoyed. I love everything that comes with it, the responsibility of looking after people from different types of angles. Whether it be out in the field or away from the field. Understanding different individuals and personalities, because in a team sport, you have got a lot of people and not everyone is the same. That’s helped me mature as a person,” Ben Stokes said.
Since Ben Stokes took over Test captaincy, England have lost only four matches. And, more importantly, England haven’t lost a series. Stokes has a 73.68% winning record.
