NEW DELHI, Oct 30: His peers, seniors and even critics can’t help being in awe of the brilliance that defines Ben Stokes’ career but the World Cup-winning English cricketer prefers being mostly unhappy with his performances to ensure that improvement never stops.
In the form of his life for the past three-four years, the 29-year-old already has 7000 plus runs and more than 270 wickets across formats and finds his name mentioned alongside the likes of Ian Botham and Andrew Flintoff.
Speaking to PTI in an interview, Stokes revealed how he transformed into a world beater in the past couple of years.
“Experience. The more you play, the more you learn about yourself. You are able to understand different things and different situations. Constantly, I have never been happy with where I am as a player,” Stokes said, giving a insight into his mind.
“I am always trying to evolve. I am still trying to work on my strengths and that’s how I score runs and take wickets. You don’t forget that. But also doing away with my weaknesses which makes me more consistent as a player,” said the man from Durham, who is feared by teams for his game-changing abilities.
Whether it’s being the a central figure in a tense World Cup final or an epic Ashes hundred at the Leed’s, Stokes admits that the occasion does play on the mind of every player even if he tries to shut the outside noise.
Asked, how he keeps calm for big games, Stokes replied: “System of the game.”
“It begins around with people picking the game up (hype). That’s not to say we don’t get nervous or feel anxious about the occasion. It’s normal.
“It’s all about embracing the situation and dealing with it in the right way without being overcome by it. At the end of the day, it’s a game of cricket whether it’s an Ashes Test or World Cup final,” the answer seemed simpler than actual execution.
Talking about big games and Stokes speaks about how the Indian Premier League, over the years, has prepared players to understand what sense of occasion means.
“IPL is an amazing learning curve and you get to play alongside and against some of the best players in the world. You get to pick their brains,” said the player, who is competing for Rajasthan Royals this season.
“…You get to play in front of sold-out houses and get exposed to that kind of an atmosphere. Just getting used to every ball in IPL is an occasion and the energy that they bring is a big thing,” the all-rounder said.
“Once you get used to it, you get comfortable with a high pressure environment.”
The question that didn’t remotely amuse him was about the fact that before the start of the game against Mumbai Indians, he hadn’t hit a six for more than 100 deliveries.
“It’s a pretty pointless stat to be written about,” he said having anchored a chase for Royals in the last game against MI with a splendid hundred.
For someone blessed with equal finesse in both aspects of the game, Stokes believes that bowling to a technically gifted player like England captain Joe Root and batting against the likes of James Anderson and Stuart Broad has helped him “massively”.
“It helps massively to improve as an all-rounder when you are bowling against someone like Rooty (Joe Root) or batting against two greatest England fast bowlers (Broad and Anderson) is test in itself.
“They are going to test you in every aspect of the game and when you have a bat or ball in your hand, it’s an amazing challenge you have for 20 minutes or half an hour at the nets.”
Stokes feels happy when he is able to battle it out against England’s best in the nets, which can be huge for confidence at the international stage.
“You might not get Rooty out but you will know that you have bowled well. Similarly against Jimmy and Broad, if you don’t get out even if you haven’t scored off them, you come out with a sense of accomplishment that two greats of the game hadn’t been able to get you out.
“Sometimes, you want to practice playing the short ball and you might get out five or six times in the nets. But having said that, getting that kind of practice in the nets against those guys is awesome.” (PTI)

DUBAI, Oct 30: Their play-off berth secured, defending champions Mumbai Indians would look to add to the woes of Delhi Capitals, who are on a three-match losing streak, and consolidate their position at the top when the two teams face each other in their penultimate IPL league game here on Saturday.
Chennai Super Kings six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday sealed MI’s play-off berth. The defending champions are currently on 16 points and with an excellent net run rate (NRR), are almost certain to finish in the top two.
Despite three defeats on the trot against Kings XI Punjab, KKR and Sunrisers Hyderabad, DC are placed third with 14 points from 12 games, courtesy their consistent run in the first phase of the league.
The three defeats should come as an eye opener for DC as they can ill-afford to take things lightly and need at least a win to seal their play-off place.
But it won’t be an easy task as their last two games are against the top two teams on the table — MI and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
If DC lose their last two games, it is entirely possible that KXIP will go past them on NRR even if they finish on 14 points and in such a case, the Delhi side could be eliminated if other teams on 14 have a higher NRR.
Going by paper, MI definitely have a clear-cut edge over DC and having confirmed their last four berth, the title holders would be playing without any pressure.
Regular skipper Rohit Sharma, who missed the last three games due to a left-leg hamstring injury, is unlikely to take the field again on Saturday, but there is no substantial word from the MI management in this regard yet.
While MI had roared back to form after thrashing RCB by five-wickets in the last game, there are problems aplenty for DC.
MI are unlikely to tinker with the playing XI, with their top-order firing on all cylinders.
Quinton De Kock would be hoping to continue his sublime form despite a rare failure against RCB and so would Ishan Kishan, who has been a revelation.
Suryakumar Yadav, who was ignored for India’s tour of Australia despite his scintillating form this season, made a statement with a match-winning 79 against RCB the other day.
He along with De Kock and Kishan can take any attack to cleaners. Saurabh Tiwary though needs to convert his starts into big scores, while Hardik Pandya, stand-in captain Kieron Pollard and Krunal Pandya are known for their six-hitting prowess.
MI bowlers made a spectacular comeback against RCB after the hammering they received against Rajasthan Royals.
Jasprit Bumrah (20 wickets) and Trent Boult (17 wickets) have been lethal both upfront and at the death, while James Pattinson (11 wickets) and spin duo of Rahul Chahar (14 wickets) and Krunal (5 wickets) has provided great support in the middle overs.
DC, on the other hand, need to pull up their socks quickly after a hat-trick of defeats.
Their batsmen crumbled under pressure against SRH in their last game and were bundled out for 131 while chasing an imposing 220-run target.
Shikhar Dhawan(471 runs) has been in blazing form for DC, with two centuries but needs support from the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, who has replaced Prithvi Shaw, skipper Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Shimron Hetmyer and Marcus Stoinis.
The South African pace duo of Kagiso Rabada (23 wickets) and Anrich Nortje (15) have been exceptional for DC, barring an off day for the latter against SRH.
Tushar Deshpande and Ravichandran Ashwin have been erratic off late and need to come good.
Teams (from):
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (C), Aditya Tare, Anmolpreet Singh, Anukul Roy, Chris Lynn, Dhawal Kulkarni, Digvijay Deshmukh, Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, James Pattison, Jasprit Bumrah, Jayant Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mohsin Khan, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Prince Balwant Rai, Quinton De Kock, Rahul Chahar, Saurabh Tiwary, Sherfane Rutherford, Suryakumar Yadav, Trent Boult.
Delhi Capitals: Delhi Capitals: Shreyas Iyer (C), Kagiso Rabada, Marcus Stoinis, Sandeep Lamichhane, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shikhar Dhawan, Shimron Hetmyer, Alex Carey, Mohit Sharma, Prithvi Shaw, Lalit Yadav, Avesh Khan, Axar Patel, Tushar Deshpande, Rishabh Pant, Harshal Patel, Keemo Paul, Pravin Dubey, Anrich Nortje, Daniel Sams.
Match starts at 3.30 PM. (PTI)