India vs England: Ben Stokes praises Rehan Ahmed's handling of visa drama ahead of third Test
England go into the Test with the series level at 1-1 after the opening two contests in Hyderabad and Vizag; follow over-by-over text commentary of third Test in Rajkot from 3.30am on Thursday (first ball at 4am)
Thursday 15 February 2024 06:19, UK
England captain Ben Stokes insists there was never any consideration to drop Rehan Ahmed for the third Test against India and paid tribute to how the teenager handled his pre-match visa issues.
Ahmed was retained by England, with Mark Wood in for Shoaib Bashir the only change, after a tense 48 hours in which the leg-spinner was initially denied entry upon his return to India on Monday.
The 19-year-old was given a two-day emergency visa after the expiry of his single entrance visa following England's mid-series break in Abu Dhabi, but the situation has now been fully resolved.
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"It was always one of those situations for an individual where having to wait for that, it's always an anxious period," Stokes said. "But we don't have to worry about any more of those issues.
"I don't know how we ended up being in that situation but when it came up, we were straight on to doing what we needed to do to get Rehan in rather than wasting time trying to find out whose fault it was.
"The great thing about youth is they just take everything in their stride. He handled a situation that could have affected quite a lot of people in a different way very, very well for such a young kid.
"There was no thoughts around not playing him this week. The Test matches he's played so far, he's done very, very well and everything we've asked of him he's gone out and tried to deliver."
England have rebalanced their side by including Wood alongside James Anderson, the first time the tourists have gone with two fast bowlers in a series that is delicately poised, with the change likely to see Ahmed used in the attack earlier than in the second Test.
"The only thing I'll say to Rehan is whenever you've got the ball think about taking a wicket every ball and don't worry about too much else," Stokes, who added.
"Bringing in an extra seamer this week is the option we've gone with because we think it's going to give us the best chance of winning this week. Bash [Shaoib Bashir] performed incredibly well in his first game for England; he'll just take it in his stride.
"He's a young lad and would want to play every game possible but I've got no doubt there will be more opportunities for him going forward in this series."
Atherton: England 'quietly confident' of series win?
The series is in the balance at one Test apiece with three matches remaining, with former England captain Michael Atherton believing the tourists will fancy their chances of a famous series victory on Indian soil.
"Both games have been highly competitive," Atherton added. "It was a stunning victory for England in Hyderabad. The defeat in in Vizag and the margin of it was reasonable, even if for a lot of the game it didn't quite feel like that that.
"It felt as though England had a sniff, even though they were a long way behind on first innings, as they bowled brilliantly to give themselves a chance on that fourth day.
"India were good value for it in the end, the series is beautifully poised at one apiece with three to play for here (Rajkot), Ranchi and Dharamshala. It has been an intriguing series so far and is very hard to call which way it will go.
"England just had a week in Abu Dhabi and they'll come off that feeling probably a little bit more quietly confident than they would have done maybe at the start of the trip, with India so strong at home.
"India have shown some vulnerabilities in the two test matches that we've seen so far."
Jadeja: 'Easier' to navigate England's style
India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja believes navigating England's attacking style under Stokes and McCullum has become "easier" after a period of adjustment.
There have been some suggestions of England unsettling India after handing them their fourth Test loss at home since 2013 in Hyderabad and bullishly attempting to chase 399 in Vizag before coming up short.
"In all these years, whichever team has come they have not found it easy to come to India, play on the Indian wickets and win in Indian conditions," Jadeja said. "It is not that England are difficult to beat but they play with a different style and it takes some time to understand that.
"Once you understand that, it becomes easier what to do. That is their style. We need to have a plan B and set fields accordingly and bowl to it. We have to do the opposite to what they are doing."
England Test series in India 2024
- First Test, Hyderabad: England beat India by 28 runs
- Second Test, Vizag: India beat England by 106 runs
- Third Test - February 15-19 (Rajkot)
- Fourth Test - February 23-27 (Ranchi)
- Fifth Test - March 7-11 (Dharamshala)
Follow over-by-over text commentary from the third Test between India and England, in Rajkot, live on skysports.com and the Sky Sports App from 3.45am on Thursday (first ball at 4am).
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