England head coach Brendon McCullum gave a big update on captain Ben Stokes' fitness ahead of the series opener of the five-match Test series against India at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. Days before the start of the Test on January 25 (Thursday), McCullum said that Stokes should be good to go for the Hyderabad Test. The former New Zealand captain was all in praise of the England skipper's worth ethics and revealed that Stokes has been putting in the hard work behind the scenes.
It is pertinent to note that Stokes had undergone an operation after the conclusion of the ODI World Cup 2023 after struggling with a knee injury. While that left him with a relatively short window to regain full fitness before the Test series against India, McCullum was confident that he would be able to play the first Test. It remains to be seen whether Stokes plays as a specialist batter or is fit enough to roll his arms over, if the need arises.
"He looks like a greyhound. He's put the work in, everyone knows his work ethic is phenomenal," McCullum told BBC ahead of the much-anticipated series.
"I've seen him running around and I think he's good to go. We'll obviously make that call as late as what we need to. But he's put all the work in, and we'll just have to wait and see," he added.
Virat Kohli Pulls Out Of First Two Tests
In what could be an advantage to England, senior India batter Virat Kohli has pulled out of the first two Tests against England citing personal reasons. However, the right-handed batter is expected to come back and join the squad for the last three Tests. After the Hyderabad Test, the two teams will square off in Vizag followed by Test matches in Rajkot, Ranchi, Dharamsala.