Ben Stokes and his England teammates have decided to leave India ahead of the third Test of the five-match series against the hosts. The tourists left for Abu Dhabi after losing the second Test in Visakhapatnam on Monday (February 5).
India defeated Ben Stokes’ side by 106 runs, leveling the score for the fifth straight match. Chasing an improbable total of 399 runs, the visitors were bowled out for 292. The test he completed within 4 days. His third Test of the series is scheduled to start in Rajkot on February 15.
And with over a week left until the start of the third Test, the England team decided to return to Abu Dhabi, where they had trained before arriving in India. England’s players will relax in Abu Dhabi, taking part in leisure activities such as golf, before returning to India ahead of the third Test, the Hindustan Times reported. The England team management believes that a week’s rest will help the players get fit for the remaining series.
Ben Stokes on England’s loss in second Test:
England captain Ben Stokes said after the Test that they had hoped to take a 2-0 lead in the series, but the defeat would not affect the team’s confidence. He explained that he and his teammates will quickly forget the loss and focus on the next task.
“It would have been great to win 2-0, but that’s the great thing about five games in a row. Everything matters at the end of the series,” Stokes told reporters.
“We are a very level-headed team so we can put things behind us and move on to the next thing and focus on that,” he added.
England are aiming to become the first team to win a Test series in India since the 2012/13 season. Incidentally, England were also the last team to win a Test series in India. In the 2012/13 season, they won the series 2 wins and 1 loss under manager Alastair Cook. Since then, India have never lost a Test series at home and have lost only four Tests during this period.
