Ben Stokes claims to have lost 5 kgs due to stomach illness, snubs cricket experts' views

England allrounder Ben Stokes has come out in support of his teammates after enduring strong criticism from British pundits and media. The England team came under fire for their lacklustre performance in India post their 1-3 loss at the recently concluded India vs England Test series, but according to a new revelation, there might have been a larger contributing factor behind this that was unrelated to the team's preparation or dedication — a mystery illness. Going forward, the concern will be whether England are able to recover in time for the white-ball series.

India vs England: Ben Stokes praises team's dedication to play on despite illness

England all-rounder Ben Stokes has confirmed reports that the English side came down with some sort of stomach illness during their Test series against India. In a chat with the popular UK publication, the Daily Mirror, Stokes said that "players are totally committed to England and I think that was emphasised last week when a few of us went down with an illness that made operating in 41-degree heat particularly taxing". Elaborating, Stokes said that while he "lost 5 kg in a week" players like Dom Sibley, Jack Leach and Jimmy Anderson also lost a couple of kilos each due to the bug. 

While saying this, Stokes also made it amply clear that the team was not using this rather concerning sounding ailment as an excuse. "This is in no way an excuse because everyone was ready to play, and India and Rishabh Pant especially produced a terrific performance," Stokes said. However, he added that due credit must be given to the players who took to the field for their country despite their difficult situation, saying, "I take off my hat to the effort that was put in by players who gave everything they had to try and win for England".

Going into the T20I series — beginning on March 12 — England will be disappointed with their inability to convert their decisive 227-run victory in the 1st Test into a series victory. They will also be left wondering about what could've been had they managed to qualify for the World Test Championship finals against New Zealand later this year. Stokes' own performance in the Test series was average as he put up good knocks of 82 and 55 in the first and last Tests and picked up a 4-wicket haul in the last Test.

RR team 2021 for IPL 2021

Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Riyan Parag, Shreyas Gopal, Rahul Tewatia, Mahipal Lomror, Kartik Tyagi, Andrew Tye, Jaydev Unadkat, Mayank Markande, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Anuj Rawat, David Miller, Manan Vohra, Robin Uthappa, Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya, KC Cariappa, Liam Livingstone, Kuldip Yadav, Akash Singh

Image Credits: AP