Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) Rahul Tripathi has been sharing the dressing the room with the world-class all-rounder Ben Stokes since the last two seasons, but English man is still the same when he first met him in the Rising Pune Supergiant camp, says the Maharashtra opener.

Stokes, who has been the costliest player in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for two consecutive seasons, has recently returned to cricket after the Bristol incident last year in September, which tarnished his image.

In a video posted by the Rajasthan Royals, Rahul said, “I think Stokesey is the same. He hasn’t changed. He has a great sense of humor. Really energetic. I think he really enjoys his game. On the field, he is always active. He keeps troubling me, he enjoys himself and is a really fun person to be around.”

While commenting on RR skipper Ajinkya Rahane, Tripathi said, “Aju dada is an extremely humble person. Last year was the first time I played with him, opened with him. Every time I used to bat and go on to the field with him, he used to say, “keep playing, have a good intent”.”

He signed off, “Even off the field, he keeps telling me to stay calm and guides me. Even if you just observe him off the field, it teaches you a lot. How to succeed in life and always being humble.”

On Saturday (20 April), RR lost to Chennai Super Kings by 64-runs in Pune, and they will next play Mumbai Indians at home on 22 April (Sunday).