Michael Vaughan has made a worrying prediction for England captain Ben Stokes as the star all-rounder prepares to lead his team in the much-anticipated five-Test series against Team India. The series is scheduled to begin on Thursday (January 25) in Hyderabad.
Many believe the series will be Ben Stokes’ toughest challenge as captain yet. England have not won a Test series in India since the 2012/13 season, while India have not lost a series at home since that defeat against the English team. No team has even managed to challenge India in their backyard in the last decade.
On the other hand, Ben Stokes has not lost a single Test series since taking charge of the team in 2022. Under his captaincy, England have defeated teams like India, New Zealand and South Africa at home, in addition to reaching the Ashes in last place. year. England also recorded a historic 3-0 victory in Pakistan last winter.
And ahead of the start of the IND vs ENG Test series, Michael Vaughan has said that Ben Stokes may not play a Test at 100 per cent fitness again. At the same time, the former England captain also stated that the team will need the services of the all-rounder even if he is not fully fit.
“He may never play Test cricket at 100 per cent fitness again, but England need him at 90 per cent after his operation because his batting and captaincy are so vital,” wrote Michael Vaughan in his column for the Telegraph.
Michael Vaughan’s advice to Joe Root:
England’s fate in the series will largely depend on how Joe Root performs and Michael Vaughan has given him some important advice. The former cricketer-turned-commentator has urged the star batsman not to become too aggressive and approach his batting with maturity.
“Another hope I have is that Joe Root doesn’t get caught up in playing too offensive cricket. I want him to play exactly like he did in 2021, when in Sri Lanka and India he scored three great goals. That’s what England need from arguably their best spin player,” said Michael Vaughan.
Root impressed with the bat during the tour of Sri Lanka and India in 2021. In Sri Lanka, he scored 426 runs in 2 matches with an average of 106.50 and a strike rate of 65.63. He scored 2 centuries including a knock of 228 runs. Also in India he was the leading run scorer, scoring 368 runs in 4 games with the help of 1 century.