England and Rajasthan Royals (RR) all-rounder, Ben Stokes, was once again all praise for the Indian Premier League (IPL) as a platform that aids learning and benefits the psyche of cricketers, helping them flourish under pressure.
Stokes, himself a prime example of it, struck an outstanding hundred in a recent important encounter against Mumbai Indians (MI) after enduring a disappointing run and coping criticism at the start of his campaign. And then followed it up with a fifty in another win over Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in a virtual knock-out on Friday (October 30).
“IPL is an amazing learning curve and you get to play alongside and against some of the best players in the world. You get to pick their brains," Stokes, who is in his fourth season of IPL, told PTI in an interview.
"You get to play in front of sold-out houses and get exposed to that kind of an atmosphere. Just getting used to every ball in IPL is an occasion and the energy that they bring is a big thing."
“Once you get used to it, you get comfortable with a high-pressure environment."
With Stokes, as is pretty well known, excelling in big matches is hardly limited to the IPL. The Durham cricketer has been one of England's most impactful ones in recent times, including performances at last year's World Cup and the Ashes. The 29-year-old believes it's the "experience" over a period of time that has transformed him into the player he is today.
"The more you play, the more you learn about yourself," he said. "You are able to understand different things and different situations. Constantly, I have never been happy with where I am as a player."
“I am always trying to evolve. I am still trying to work on my strengths and that’s how I score runs and take wickets. You don’t forget that. But also doing away with my weaknesses which makes me more consistent as a player."
With time, Stokes has also gained in maturity and a greater sense of calmness in match-scenarios.
"System of the game. It begins around with people picking the game up (hype). That’s not to say we don’t get nervous or feel anxious about the occasion. It’s normal."
“It’s all about embracing the situation and dealing with it in the right way without being overcome by it. At the end of the day, it’s a game of cricket whether it’s an Ashes Test or World Cup final."
In the England set-up, Stokes thinks his net sessions where he bowls to the likes of Joe Root and faces up against the quality of James Anderson, Stuart Broad, have helped his growth immensely.
"It helps massively to improve as an all-rounder when you are bowling against someone like Rooty (Joe Root) or batting against two greatest England fast bowlers (Broad and Anderson) is test in itself."
"They are going to test you in every aspect of the game and when you have a bat or ball in your hand, it’s an amazing challenge you have for 20 minutes or half an hour at the nets."
"You might not get Rooty out but you will know that you have bowled well. Similarly against Jimmy and Broad, if you don’t get out even if you haven’t scored off them, you come out with a sense of accomplishment that two greats of the game hadn’t been able to get you out."
"Sometimes, you want to practice playing the short ball and you might get out five or six times in the nets. But having said that, getting that kind of practice in the nets against those guys is awesome," he added.
