England captain Ben Stokes was spotted bowling ahead of the 2nd Test against India in Vishakhapatnam as he sent down the ball during net practice with a short run-up. The seam-bowling all-rounder also provided his verdict on the surface, predicting it to play out well initially before assisting spin.
Stokes, who usually plays as a seam-bowling all-rounder, has not bowled since the 2023 Ashes series and played as a pure batter in the World Cup. The 32-year-old's knee struggles surfaced during the New Zealand tour in 2023 and had to undergo knee surgery before the series in India.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Stokes expects the warm weather to bring the cracks into play as the Test match wears on. As quoted by Cricbuzz, the 32-year-old claimed:
"Pitch might be a good wicket for may be a day or two, but out here in india and other parts of the sub-continent, you trend to see it start to spin more and more as the Test goes deeper and deeper. Even though it does look like there's a little bit more moisture in there with the heat and today is very hot again - any footholes and stuff like that might come into play the further the Test goes."
"Tomorrow is just the start of low-impact bowling" - Ben Stokes
During a media interaction on Tuesday, the Durham all-rounder commented that things have been easier without bowling, but hopes to be back in full tilt with it.
"You will see me bowl tomorrow. I did say that this trip is a back to bowling programme for me. You have seen me do a lot of running and that has been part of it. Tomorrow is just the start of low-impact bowling, get the rest of my body going again and just gradually keep building that up. I won’t be bowling in the game. It is a lot easier [not bowling]. But I am looking forward to getting back into it."
However, with England yet again naming only one seamer in their playing XI for the 2nd Test, the tourists could require his services with the ball.
