Published 18:56 IST, February 6th 2021
IPL: Rajasthan urge Ben Stokes to slow down after his blistering knock in Chennai Test
Rajasthan urged all-rounder Ben Stokes to slow down after his blistering knock of 82 against India in the 1st Test at Chennai's Chepauk Stadium
English all-rounder Ben Stokes played an impactful knock of 82 against India on Day 2 of the first Test match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
It so happened that Stokes had started off his innings slowly but then went after the Indian bowlers once he rediscovered his rhythm. The southpaw's counter-attacking strategy paid off as he reached his half-century off just 73 deliveries and when he did get to his 50, Ben's IPL team Rajasthan Royals came forward and urged him to slow down.
'There's still time for IPL'
Sharing one of Stokes' batting stills from the first innings, the inaugural edition's champions requested the explosive middle-order batsman's form in the series-opener. However, reminded the Durham all-rounder that there is still time for IPL.
Ben Stokes has been retained by the former champions for the upcoming IPL 2021 and he will be expected to make a tremendous impact for the 2008 winners with his all-round skills as the franchise looks forward to win the marquee tournament for the second time.
Ben Stokes in Dream11 IPL 2020
Stokes had joined Rajasthan in the second half of the season since he was with his ailing father in New Zealand. Ben, who is a middle-order batsman was made to open the innings in the previous edition where he did manage to impress one and all to a certain extent.
In the eight matches that he got to feature in, the New Zealand born cricketer scored 285 runs at an average of 40.71 and a strike-rate of 142.50 that included a century and a half-century each. However, England's hero of the 2019 World Cup final did not achieve success with the ball in hand as he could only manage two scalps by conceding 154 runs.
Stokes' stay in the middle came to an abrupt end after he was caught by Team India's number three batsman Cheteshwar Pujara off the second attempt (after fumbling in the first) off left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem. His 82-run knock included 10 boundaries and three maximums.
Updated 18:56 IST, February 6th 2021