"Everyone had same symptoms..." - Ben Stokes' shocking claim about virus going around in Team England

Ben Stokes and Co. were not able to continue their winning momentum against India and lost the second Test match by 106 runs. England were not able to chase down 399 runs in their second innings and were all out for 292 runs. Opener Zak Crawley remained the top run scorer for the Three Lions and played an innings of 73 runs. The India team were able to level the five-match Test series and now the caravan will move to Rajkot for the third match.

While speaking in the press conference after the match, England captain Ben Stokes said that there is a bit of a ‘virus’ around the team’s dressing room. Stokes revealed that a couple of players were not well when they woke up on Monday morning. Stokes stated that it is not an excuse and the game is of ifs, buts, and maybes. But Stokes was proud of the way the players played and didn’t shy from giving their best.

It is believed that Ben Foakes, Ollie Pope, and Tom Hartley were not 100 percent fit on Day 4 of the second IND vs ENG Test match.

Ben Stokes reveals about ‘virus’ in the England dressing room

He said, “A couple woke up this morning not feeling great, and when everyone had the same symptoms you know there is something going around. There’s a bit of a virus going round, it’s not an excuse for the result or anything, because it’s a game full of ifs, buts and maybes. Something that is not ideal. You obviously want everyone to be 100% and feeling great. But proud that the guys who were feeling under the weather didn’t shy away from anything they needed to do and gave it their best.”

Returning to the match, it would not have been a simple challenge for England to chase down 399. Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley, the opening pair for England, put on 50 runs for the first wicket to give them a strong start. Duckett was out for 23 runs, but Crawley played a 73-run innings and added another half-century.

But following his dismissal, none of the other English batsmen persisted at the crease long enough to be bowled by the Indian bowlers. Finally, the Indian team proved to be too strong for the English tail, even though Tom Hartley and Ben Foakes put up a strong fight and scored more than 50 runs for the eighth wicket.

Despite their loss, England showcased brilliant fight and intent and were never out of the game on all four days of the match. It is also very great to see that the Test matches in India are going to the Day 4 and 5 whereas, results are also coming out of the match.

Also, England would be wanting to return in the third Test match starting from February 15 at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot. The Indian team, on the other hand, will also be full of confidence, however, there are certain aspects that the Indian team need to identify ahead of the 3rd Test match.