The third Test against India in Rajkot will mark Ben Stokes’ 100th appearance in the longest format.
Over the years, Stokes has emerged as one of England’s greatest-ever match winners. He has stepped up to the plate on big stages time and again, playing a key role in the team’s maiden World Cup triumph in 2019 and the T20 World Cup glory in 2022.
The ace all-rounder has also established himself as a fine leader lately. He has changed the fortunes of the England Test team since taking over as the captain in 2022. Under his leadership, the Three Lions have adopted an aggressive approach in the longest format of the game, also known as Bazball.
The third Test against India in Rajkot, starting on February 15, will mark Stokes’ 100th appearance in the traditional format.
"He has probably changed the game in a lot of respects, he has just got a way of bringing out the very best of him when the team needs it. Even in the Ashes at Lord's, which I remember thinking about 'how does he obviously take it to a new level when all the pressure is on him'," Ollie Pope told the media ahead of the third Test against India.
"The amount of times he's done that over his career of 99 Tests so far is unbelievable," Pope said.
"It's unbelievable. For anyone to play 100 Tests is an unbelievable achievement. He's obviously had his highs and his lows in his career, but what he's done (since) he's been captain, he's been amazing and there's so many special moments that he can look back on his career," he added.
According to Pope, Ben Stokes' man-management skills sets him apart from the other leaders.
"I was there in the eleven when he took (on) the captaincy role. He made it pretty clear that I was the man for the No 3 job and that just gave me a lot of confidence," the England batter said.
"His man management was excellent. He seemed like he's got as much time for everyone in the squad whether that be the physios or the doctors, as he does for his eleven on the pitch as well," he further stated.
The England captain, who has played the first two Tests as a specialist batter, was seen bowling full tilt on Tuesday afternoon. However, Ollie Pope denied that Stokes is preparing to bowl in the remainder of the series.
"Not that I know of, I don't think so," Pope said. "He's just getting back to bowling. He's getting his knee right, that's why he had surgery, just to make sure when he is back bowling he's going to be bowling quickly and as well as he can. But I think he's just preparing as a batter."
While the current England team is defined by the phrase 'Bazball', Pope said they are forbidden to use the word.
"Everyone bats differently in this team. We're not allowed to say Bazball, but the start that we're making isn't always about attacking. A lot of the time it's about absorbing pressure when we need to absorb pressure," he remarked.
(With PTI Inputs)