Published 21:26 IST, February 11th 2021
India Vs Eng: Ben Foakes discusses his Test return; calls comeback of fans an added bonus
Ben Foakes, who will play his first Test since 2019 said that he was both 'excited and nervous' for the series since it had been a while.
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Ahead of his Test resurgence, England wicket-keeper batsman Ben Foakes said that he was looking forward to playing the second India vs England Test, calling the comeback of fans 'an added bonus.' Foakes, who will play his first Test since 2019 said that he was both 'excited and nervous' for the series since it had 'been a while.'
"It's obviously an incredible series to be a part of and I guess the fans coming back is an added bonus. I think I'm just excited for the series. Obviously living in the bio-secure bubble and not seeing too many people outside for so long. So to have that atmosphere back would be awesome," Foakes said in a virtual press conference organised by England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Thursday.
While the first India vs England Test match was played behind closed doors, the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) last week allowed a 50 per cent crowd for the second Test at the stadium. The India vs England Chennai Test tickets which were made available from February 8 were all sold out in less than an hour.
"Yeah! Been a while since my last game, been here around the group so I am a bit excited and nervous at the same time. I love to have that same kind of impact in the series, it's one of those days I haven't played for a while. I am just trying out myself in a good position to do well and hopefully, I will be able to contribute," Ben Foakes added.
Lauding fellow teammate Jos Buttler who has been rested for the last three Tests, Foakes said that while Buttler had done an amazing job over the last two years, he just wanted to get back to playing cricket. "Of course you wanna play but Jos (Buttler) has done an amazing job over the last two years. It's one of those situations where it's understandable," he said.
"You obviously had to have confidence in yourself for me don't look back to that stuff. I just want to get back to playing cricket. Obviously, I haven't played as much as like over the last two years. So the aim is to get back in and do a good job for the team," Foakes added.
With England defeating India by 227 runs in the opening Test, the visitors have earned first place and 70.2 percentage points on the points table, increasing their chances to secure one of the three series results.
(With Agency Inputs)
21:26 IST, February 11th 2021