IND vs ENG - Ben Stokes Starts Playing Mind Games Ahead Of Edgbaston Test, Hails Rishabh Pant After Stellar Show: 'Got A Bit Of Stickiness But...'

England vs India: Ahead of the Headingley Test, England skipper Ben Stokes heaped praise on India keeper-batter Rishabh Pant, saying that he loves watching him play.

The second Test match of the series between India and England will kick off on Wednesday, July 2nd, at Edgbaston in Birmingham. The match will kick off at 3:30 PM IST.

Previously, in the first Test match, Rishabh Pant displayed a stupendous performance by scoring a twin century in both innings of the match. However, Team India still failed to clinch a win against the Three Lions. The visitors conceded a five-wicket defeat against the hosts.

At the Headingley Test, Pant scored a 134-run knock from 178 balls at a strike rate of 75.28 in the first inning. The 27-year-old went on to score another blitz hundred in the second inning in Leeds.

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Ben Stokes Lauds Rishabh Pant Ahead Of Edgbaston Test

On the eve of the second Test match, England captain Ben Stokes praised the India vice-captain Rishabh Pant, saying that even though the youngster is in the opposition but he still loves watching him play.

Stokes added that Pant got a bit of stickiness in his time on the crease.

"Even though he's in opposition, I absolutely love watching Rishabh play cricket. I love the way he takes it on in all formats of the game. He's got a bit of stickiness in his time, but that type of talent, when you let that type of talent be free, that's what can happen in the last week," Ben Stokes told reporters at the pre-match press conference.

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Rishabh Pant's Stats In Tests

Rishabh Pant made his Test debut in 2018 against England. Following that, the 27-year-old played 44 long-format matches and 77 innings, scoring 3200 runs at an average of 44.44 and a strike rate of 74.03. The keeper-batter has now hammered eight hundreds and 15 half-centuries in Test cricket.