England skipper Ben Stokes has hinted that his team is more than capable of firing back any aggression from the Indian players in the fourth Test beginning Wednesday. The heated words in the series look to possibly persist going forward, with Stokes indicating that his side would not be backing down should the other team attempt to front them up.
Individual players have been observed engaged in animated discussions, with the English Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett involved in a vocal back-and-forth with the Indians Mohammed Siraj and Shubman Gill earlier in the series.
Ben Stokes’ Warning to India
England captain Ben Stokes on Tuesday said his team will match Indian players’ aggression in the fourth test starting Wednesday, implying that the heated verbal exchanges in the series will keep going.
“I don’t think it’s one of those things where we’re going to necessarily just go out and start at (sledging). I don’t think either team’s really looked to do that. I think there’s always going to be a moment in a Test series where something does heat up. It’s a massive series and there’s a lot of pressure on both teams to perform,” Stokes said.
“As I said, we won’t purposely start it because that would distract us from what we need to do on the field. But we won’t take a backward step if the opposition tries to confront us. And we won’t hesitate to respond. I think this applies to most teams. The series has been great to play and watch, with quality cricket over all five days of each Test” Ben Stokes added.
The fourth Test is going to be an exciting match where both the teams would like to make a mark. England will seek to make even further advantage of their 2-1 lead, whereas India will seek to tie the series and turn the contest into a decider.
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