<p>On the eve of his 100th Test match, England captain Ben Stokes made a concerted effort to project humility, stating that “milestones are what they are.” However, he is looking forward to the “theatre” that comes with taking on a star-studded India in the headline game.</p>
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<p>When Stokes leads the team out in the third Test against India here on Thursday, he will become the 16th player in England history to participate in 100 Tests. During the press conference before to the game, the attractive big-hitter made an effort to minimize the excitement around his accomplishment.</p>
<p>Milestones are just that—milestones. When questioned about his views on the match, he said briefly, “I’ve always enjoyed playing against India because of the contest, the theatre it brings.”</p>
<p>After India rallied to win the second game in Visakhapatnam, after England’s victory in Hyderabad in the first game, the series is presently tied at one.</p>
<p>According to Stokes, his thoughts are on figuring out the weather and putting up a strong plan of attack for the big game.</p>
<p>There are a couple cracks that meet up as you gaze down. If they become involved, only time will tell. You definitely need to have some kind of philosophy that guides the XI you choose, but (I) don’t want to have too many preconceived notions about pitches,” he said.</p>
<p>Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah’s outstanding performance in Vizag, when he claimed nine wickets on a competitive track, helped India’s fortunes turn around.</p>
<p>When asked whether England had any specific intentions for the bowler, Stokes said, “No, not really.”</p>
<p>“Jasprit Bumrah bowls with incredible skill. He has shown it for a very long time, and his performances in the two games have been excellent. We need to score runs off Bumrah as well, and that’s what we’ll attempt to do, but I believe everyone needs to go their own way and not try to deal with him,” he said.</p>
<p>“But in the event that it fails, you just have to give the bowler credit, and Jasprit has performed well in the first two games. There is no team strategy for playing any bowler; each of us has our own methods for dealing with each one. However, we’ll be attempting to maintain the attention on us like we normally do,” he said.</p>
<p>Stokes expressed dissatisfaction with the data suggesting that England is benefiting from Virat Kohli and KL Rahul’s absence from the series.</p>
<p>While Rahul is at the NCA in Bengaluru recovering from a quadriceps tear injury he sustained in the first Test in Hyderabad, Kohli has been ruled out of the whole match for personal reasons.</p>
<p>“KL has been sidelined due to an injury he got in the first game. Before England’s training session, Stokes said, “I mentioned the other day that I don’t like it being used as a benefit to us or a detriment to India because of Virat’s absence.</p>
