If I Were Joe Root, I Would Have Implored Ben Stokes To Come Back And Play: Sunil Gavaskar
Published - 23 Aug 2021, 01:02 AM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:52 AM
Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar said that if he was in Joe Root’s place, he would beg all-rounder Ben Stokes to come back from his mental-health break and play for England.
Just ahead of the Test series against India, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced that Stokes will take an immediate break from all forms of cricket to prioritise his mental health and be alongside his family.
Ben Stokes’ absence has hit England hard
Stokes’ absence was a massive blow for England it is clearly evident through their performance that how badly they need him right now in the ongoing Test series. But England head coach Chris Silverwood had affirmed that there won’t be any kind of rush to bring back Stokes and he will be allowed to take his own time to get in a good state of mind.
Stokes single-handedly won England many matches in the past, his unbeaten knock of 135 against Australia at Headingley, the venue for the next Test match, was one of the greatest Test knocks played in the fourth innings.
Players like Ben Stokes are once-in-a-generation-cricketers: Sunil Gavaskar
Gavaskar said that he would have requested Stokes to come back but it is sad for England to miss his service during their tough time.
“If I were Joe Root, I would be on the hooter to Ben Stokes and implore him to come back and play for he is the kind of impact player who can turn it around for England. Sadly someone who was born to play the game is unable to do so and that’s not just England’s misfortune but that of the cricketing world too, for players like Stokes are once-in-a-generation cricketers,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Telegraph India.
India won the second Test at Lord’s by 151 runs and took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. They will play against England in the third Test in Leeds, starting on August 25.
