The Times of India in England: The last time Rishabh Pant batted in a Test match at Edgbaston, back in 2022, he scored 203 runs, with 146 out of them coming off 111 balls in a magical counter-attack in the first innings. That performance came when England, under captain Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, were starting to set a template for an ultra-aggressive brand of Test cricket which would come to be known as ‘Bazball’.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!No wonder Stokes’ face lit up when the English media mentioned Pant’s name in the pre-match media briefing on Tuesday. Pant may have hurt England with twin centuries in the first Test but that has only enhanced the unapologetic admiration Stokes has for him. “Even though he’s my opposition, I absolutely love watching Rishabh play cricket. I love the way he takes it on in all formats of the game,” Stokes gushed, the wide grin reminiscent of his expression after Pant charged at him off the second ball in the first innings at Headingley. Stokes chose to highlight the unrelenting scrutiny that follows Pant because of his audacious batting style.
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“He’s got a bit of a stick in his time. But when you let that type of talent be free, the sort of thing that happened last week can happen,” Stokes said. “Credit to him for getting two hundreds in the game. But we know we’re going to get our chances with the way that Rishabh plays.“On a different day, it could have looked a little bit different if one of those had gone straight up and to hand. We know what he brings to the Indian team. But I really enjoy watching Rishabh play,” Stokes said while adding: “There’s always pressure on the shoulders of international sportsmen but playing for India, especially in cricket, there’s probably a bit more on any other nation.”
Moeen, Flintoff give pep talksOver the last two days, Moeen Ali and Andrew Flintoff visited the English practice sessions. Moeen was seen spending a considerable amount of time with off-spinner Shoaib Bashir on Monday afternoon while Flintoff spent time with Jofra Archer.Moeen has tormented India in the past with his off-spin in a couple of series in 2014 and 2018. With the pitch expected to aid spin as the Test wears on and Moeen being a local here, Bashir looked locked in when he was taken aside for some technical talk.
“It’s been a constant thing with us, getting former England players and let the players to talk to them. I think it’s great for Bash (Bashir) too. They’ve never met until yesterday, which I found amazing. Bash was absolutely buzzing that he got to spend time with Moeen Ali yesterday.“So, the more times that we can get people like that into the dressing room to offer their advice to specific individuals, the better,” Stokes said.
