Not Joe Root! Ben Stokes reveals England's 'primary weapon' to demolish team India

England skipper Ben Stokes spoke about the importance of having Mark Wood in the team ahead of the first Test against India. He said that the fast bowler is a weapon for them and can be an impact builder for them in Hyderabad.

The first India vs England Test is just a a sleep away from now. The match will take place a the Uppal Stadium in Hyderabad from 25th January. Ben Stokes’ team has already announced their XI for the game and their combination for the game surprised many.

England went in with three frontline spinners in Jack Leach, Tom Hartley, and Rehan Ahmed. What surprised many was they picked only one pacer in the Mark Wood. But with the kind of ability the fast bowler possesses, he surely will trouble Indian batters.

Mark Wood with his raw pace will be vital for England. With pitches expected to slow, his raw pace can change the game for his side. However, with him being the only fast bowler in the team, a lot would be reliant on him as he needs to run hard yards.

Ben Stokes, however, is confident that Mark Wood can make an impact in the game. He believes that with his pace he can trouble the batters. He added that the fast bowler would be using short ploy and bowl fast. Speaking to reporters, he explained (as quoted by PTI):

“Obviously, what he brings with his high pace…he is a real impact builder. Bowling the 90 mile an hour with a reversing ball is obviously going to be very difficult to play against.

“He’s another weapon which you can use out here with short, sharp spells, wanting him to be bowling as fast as he can and for short periods. There’re no worries about these long spells because that’s how we’re going to use him this week.”

I don’t necessarily think it’s bold or brave – Ben Stokes on playing one fast bowler

Ben Stokes further talked about their call to play just one fast bowler. He said that he along with coach Brendon McCullum looked at the wicket and picked the XI. He elaborated:

“I don’t necessarily think it’s bold or brave. It’s just me and Baz (McCullum) looking at the wicket and picking the XI that we think will give us the best chance.”

Ben Stokes also opened up about the challenging Indian conditions and said that it’s an opportunity for players to take up the challenge. Speaking about the same, he explained:

“I think any team that comes to India, it’s always a tough challenge. We respect that as a team as well. But that presents us with an opportunity. This team loves opportunities. We sort of take every opportunity head on and we run towards it.

“We don’t back away from anything. But yeah, India is an incredibly hard place to come and win a game cricket. But I am really, really looking forward to the challenge.”

With the kind of cricket England have played over the last couple of years, it will be an exciting series to watch.