England’s star all-rounder Ben Stokes has taken an indefinite break from all cricket citing mental health issues, former India cricketer Aakash Chopra feels this might just be a blessing in disguise for the Indian team.
With Team India scheduled to take on hosts England in a five-match Test series from 4 August, the cricketer-turned-commentator in his latest YouTube video talking about how the absence of Stokes will be beneficial for Indians.
“India will benefit a lot from Ben Stokes' absence. He is as good as two players in one. In Tests, he plays like a proper batsman coming in at No.5 or No.6 and has the ability to change the course of a match. He is a wicket-taker with the ball and is also an excellent slip fielder. So his absence is good news for India,” Chopra said on his Youtube Channel.
With the home team not having Stokes in their side, the right-hand batsman feels the Indian bowling unit will be able to dismiss England’s tail fairly quickly which has proved to be their weakness in recent times.
“The pressure will be a bit less on India and they might be able to dismiss the tail sooner. England will be a bit weakened even before the series has started,” the 43-year-old said.
As far as the Indian team is concerned, Virat Kohli and Co. will be joined by Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav as replacements.
The five-match Test series between Virat Kohli-led India and Joe Root’s England is slated to begin from August 4 at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.
