‘Doesn’t make much difference’ - Ben Stokes not interested in milestones ahead of 100th Test

England skipper Ben Stokes is set to play his landmark 100th Test match in Rajkot, which is slated to begin on Thursday, February 15. Ahead of that, the 32-year-old made it amply clear that he was not someone who ponders over milestones as the all-rounder believes that playing the 100th Test match won’t make much of a difference. 

The Christchurch-born cricketer however clarified that he doesn’t want to sound ungrateful for the opportunities he has had. However, the legendary all rounder added that the 100th Test is ‘just a number’ as every match he plays in red-ball cricket is an important one. 

“Every Test is just as important as the next one. Then there's the next one, which will be 101 - it's just one more. It's a sign of longevity, but 99, 100 or 101 doesn't make much difference. It's just a number," said the Durham man. "I don't want it to sound like I'm not thankful for the opportunities I've had, but with milestones, it's not done until it's done,” Stokes was quoted as saying by BBC.

Notably, Stokes made his Test debut against Australia in Adelaide in 2013. However, he couldn’t make the most of the opportunity on his debut but on his second Test, the southpaw smashed 120 runs in the second innings in Perth. Since then, he has played multiple game-changing knocks in Test cricket, with Headingley arguably being on the top of the list. He made 135* runs against arch-rivals Australia to script one of the greatest Test victories for England in recent times.

Also Read: Ben Stokes hints at including Mark Wood in England's playing XI against India

Ben Stokes shared an update on his bowling fitness

The England captain underwent a knee injury right after the conclusion of the ODI World Cup. He is currently not fit enough to play as a regular all-rounder but is preparing to hit the deck in the upcoming English summer. Speaking about the same, the Durham all-rounder mentioned that he is not far away from bowling but it entirely depends on his body.

“It's little and often now. We don't have a plan with where I go with my intensity. It's just how I feel at the time, but also not getting too far ahead. The rest of my body has to get up to speed with bowling and this was another step forward,” Stokes concluded.