Ben Stokes and his England teammates have decided to leave India ahead of the third Test of the ongoing five-match series against the hosts. The tourists left the country for Abu Dhabi right after losing the second Test in Vishakhapatnam on Monday (February 5).
India beat the Ben Stokes-led side by 106 runs to draw level in the five-match series. Chasing an improbable total of 399 runs, the visitors were all out for 292. The Test ended inside four days. The third Test of the series is scheduled to get underway on February 15 in Rajkot.
And with more than a week remaining for the third Test to begin, the English team decided to return to Abu Dhabi where they trained before arriving in India. As per a report in the Hindustan Times, England players are set to indulge in some golf and other recreational activities in Abu Dhabi to relax before returning to India ahead of the third Test. The English team-management believes that the week-long break would help the players freshen up for the remainder of the series.
Ben Stokes on England’s loss in second Test:
Speaking after the Test, England captain Ben Stokes said that while he would have liked to go 2-0 up in the series, the defeat would not affect the team confidence. He stated that he and his teammates will move on quickly from the defeat and focus on the next assignment.
“Being 2-0 up would have been great for us, but that’s the great thing about a five-match series, it’s the end of the series where everything counts,” Stokes told reporters.
“We’re a very level-headed team and that allows us to put things behind us, move on to the next thing and concentrate there,” he added.
England are aiming to become the first team since the 2012/13 season to win a Test series in India. Incidentally, England are also the last team to win a Test series in India. In 2012/13 season, they won the series 2-1 under Alastair Cook’s captaincy. Since then, India have not lost a single Test series at home while losing only 4 Tests during this period.