England captain Ben Stokes has leapt in defence of Jonny Bairstow who has faced criticism from several quarters for his performance with the bat in the ongoing series against India.
On Thursday (February 22), England announced their playing eleven for the fourth Test, scheduled to be played from Friday in Ranchi. There were calls from several quarters to drop Jonny Bairstow but the visitors have decided against it. They have given the under-pressure batsman at least one more chance to turn things around.
The right-handed batsman has managed to maintain an average of just 17 in the series so far. In six innings, he has scored only 102 runs. In the first two Tests, he did get the starts but failed to capitalize on them as he registered scores of 37, 10, 25, and 26. In the third Test in Rajkot where England suffered a humiliating 434-run defeat, Jonny Bairstow scored 0 and 4.
Ben Stokes on Jonny Bairstow:
Following the heavy defeat in Rajkot, England were expected to make a number of changes to their playing eleven. And while the visitors have made two changes to the team, Jonny Bairstow has managed to retain his spot in the team.
Speaking ahead of the fourth Test, Ben Stokes backed his teammate and said that he is looking at the batsman’s long-term record for the team instead of his performance in the ongoing series. Calling Jonny Bairstow a quality player, the England captain said that the right-handed batsman has played a key role in the team’s success.
“If batters have a tough time over a short period, it will come under scrutiny. I don’t look at it like that, I look at what Jonny has contributed for a long period of time since I’ve been captain,” said Ben Stokes.
“He has money in the bank, he’s a quality player. He’s someone who has been very integral to what we have done. Looked good every time he was in the middle,” he added.
Meanwhile, England have made two changes to their playing eleven for the fourth Test. Mark Wood and Rehan Ahmed have made way for Ollie Robinson and Shoaib Bashir respectively. Robinson will be playing in the series for the first time while Bashir will be appearing in his second Test.
England XI for fourth Test:
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes (wk), Tom Hartley, Ollie Robinson, James Anderson, Shoaib Bashir
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