“I didn’t like Ben Stokes’s attitude in third Test” – Ashok Malhotra questions all-rounder’s approach

Former India cricketer Ashok Malhotra questioned Ben Stokes’s reaction to the third Test pitch. He also criticized England’s approach in their 3-1 series defeat against India.

Despite winning the first Test in Chennai, England slumped to three consecutive defeats. The series result also saw England lose out on a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

Only Joe Root and Ben Stokes managed to cross the 200-run mark in the four-Test series and scored three fifty-plus scores between them.

In an exclusive interview with journalist Indranil Basu for SK Live, Ashok Malhotra termed the England side “not good enough” and called out their approach against spin bowling.

“England team wasn’t good enough. Except for Joe Root and Ben Stokes, to some extent, no batsman is world-class against spin bowling. The attitude, aptitude and determination were lacking in this English team.

“I didn’t like the attitude of Ben Stokes, especially during the third Test. He looked shocked with the way the wicket was behaving. He seemed to complain about everything. You are a great cricketer when you champion every condition. Just like for an Indian, it’s important to excel overseas. As an Englishman, it’s important for you to come to India and do well,” said Ashok Malhotra, a former batsman and a renowned coach.

England managed only 193 runs across both innings in the third Test of the series, which was played with the pink ball. On a much better batting surface in the fourth Test, England played an extra batsman but still fell to an innings defeat.

Calling the pitch for the third Test 'disgraceful', Ashok Malhotra stated that India are good enough to beat England on any surface, and therefore, such a tailor-made surface wasn’t needed.

“I agree the wicket in the third Test wasn’t good. When you can prepare tracks like the one in the fourth Test and win, why prepare tailor-made surfaces. The third Test wicket was disgraceful, to say the least, but even otherwise, England weren’t good enough. India are the No.1 side and can win on any condition.”

England batsmen were getting out in their minds: Ashok Malhotra

Ashok Malhotra believes the pitch-talks affected the England side mentally. Despite playing on a relatively easy surface in the fourth Test, they did not seem to have come over the third Test’s hangover.

“England batters were getting out in their minds. Even in the fourth Test, in their minds, they were batting on the third Test surface. They expected every ball to explode or turn. They were shell-shocked,” Ashok Malhotra noted before praising some of the recent former England players for their focus and determination to excel in Indian conditions.

“Many English batsmen like Alastair Cook, Marcus Trescothick, Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Strauss have done well in these conditions. They were more determined, focused and better equipped to handle spin.”

Alastair Cook, who scored a hundred against India on Test debut, is the most successful English batsman in India with 1,235 runs

England remain the last side to beat India in a Test series at home. In 2012-13, Alastair Cook-led England won 2-1 against MS Dhoni’s India. Even in 2006, England managed to draw the series 1-1 against a strong Indian side.