Cricketer-turned-commentator Michael Vaughan believes Ben Stokes is an important player for England, even if he is not fully fit to play. The England skipper is expected to play in the first Test, which begins Thursday, January 25 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
Ben Stokes-led side will focus on the ‘Bazball’ brand of cricket as they will look to upset the high-quality Indian side. India and England will play one of the most significant series of the year, as the Rohit Sharma and Ben Stokes-led sides square off in a high-octane five-match Test series critical to both teams’ ambitions of reaching the 2023-25 World Test Championship (WTC) Final.
In his Column for the Telegraph, Michael Vaughan feels that Ben Stokes would not play test cricket again being fully fit but highlighted that significant value to the side through his batting and captaincy.
“He may never play Test cricket at 100 percent fitness again, but England need him at 90 percent after his operation because his batting and captaincy are so vital,” Michael Vaughan said.
The England Test Captain had successful surgery on his left knee on November 29 and worked on his recovery process to get himself ready for the five-match Test series in India. Ben Stokes last played in the 2023 World Cup, scoring 304 runs in six games, including two half-centuries, and would be keen on contributing to the team’s success in the series.
I Want Joe Root To Play Exactly As He Did In 2021 – Michael Vaughan
Michael Vaughan urged England star batter Joe Root not to get excessively aggressive and instead approach his batting with the maturity that he demonstrated when England played Sri Lanka and India in 2021. The Former England captain also praised Root as “England’s greatest-ever spinner.”
“Another hope of mine is that Joe Root does not get sucked into playing overly attacking cricket. I want him to play exactly as he did in 2021 when in Sri Lanka and India, he made three huge scores. That is what England need from arguably their greatest-ever player of spin,” Michael Vaughan added.
Joe Root finished as the top run-getter on the India tour, with 368 runs from four matches at an average of 46, including one century. In 2021, Root was the leading run-scorer on the tour of Sri Lanka, having accumulated 426 runs from two matches at an average of 106.50 with two hundreds to his name.
