England captain Ben Stokes has delivered a strong warning to India ahead of the highly anticipated third Test, set to commence on 10 July at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground.
The newly renamed Anderson-Tendulkar trophy is tied 1-1 as India roared back with a statement win in the second Test at Edgbaston, a venue where they recorded their first win on the ninth attempt.
The 336-run victory also marked Shubman Gill’s first win as a captain, who was also named as the ‘Player of the Match’ for his consecutive tons in both innings of the match.
With England requiring a record 608 to chase, their batting crumbled under pressure and they were bowled out for just 271 runs on the final day of the Test match.
Speaking to the media ahead of the Test, Ben Stokes acknowledged that the series was always going to be competitive due to the quality of the teams.
“This was always going to be a series (in) which moments ebb and flow, the results were going to ebb and flow because there are two very good teams going at each other,” he told reporters.
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“We came out on top at Headingley, and they came out on top in the last game. When you have two good sides going at it against each other, you are going to see that. I don’t think we feel like we have the edge over anyone,” he added.
The skipper, who is also facing a dip in form with the willow, issued a warning to the visitors, noting that the Three Lions will come out firing all cylinders.
“We respect our opposition, whoever that may be. We’ll be coming out this week, trying to hit them hard and obviously trying to come away with a win,” he concluded.
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