England assistant coach Paul Collingwood hopes captain Ben Stokes “has another 100 Test caps in him” after bringing up a century of appearances in the longest form.
Stokes, who turns 33 in June, made his Test debut against Australia in 2013 and has since scored 6,251 runs and taken 197 wickets.
Collingwood feels the surgery Stokes recently underwent on his left knee – the skipper is not bowling in the ongoing India series as he recovers from that operation – will extend his career.
Collingwood, who handed Stokes his milestone cap ahead of the third Test against India in Rajkot, told reporters after day one: “I have known Ben since he was a young whippersnapper at Durham. It was a real honour to be asked to present the cap in the first place.
“It was great to say a few nice words and to applaud what he has achieved in his career so far.
“It’s not coming to an end with his knee getting better and hopefully he has got another 100 Test caps in him.
“From the team’s point of view, it was to thank him for what he’s done and just the way he pushes the boundaries all the time and fills every player and member of coaching staff with confidence.
Ollie Pope says Stokes has ‘changed the game’
“It’s a great moment for him, I’m sure he’ll not be overly bothered about 100 Test caps but you could see once I was speaking he was pretty emotional to receive that cap.”
Collingwood praises ‘tireless’ Wood
Another of Collingwood’s former Durham team-mates, fast bowler Mark Wood, picked up three wickets in Rajkot as India closed the opening day on 326-5.
Wood had Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill caught behind in a fine early burst as the hosts slipped to 33-3 before returning later on to have Rohit Sharma caught by Stokes at mid-wicket for 131, snapping a 204-run stand with Ravindra Jadeja (110no).
Hussain gives praise to Mark Wood after the fast bowler picked up three wickets on day one of the third Test against India
Collingwood added of Wood: “Someone who can bowl over 90mph is a point of difference on these pitches. He has good skill with the new ball, he can nip that around and swing it.
“On flat pitches, you need a leg-spinner who can turn it both ways or extreme pace. They usually break the partnerships and give you an edge.
“Woody runs in tirelessly for this team. He loves doing it and does it with a smile on his face.
Paul Collingwood hailed England’s bowlers after India closed on 326-5 on the opening day in Rajkot
“We all realise that however many runs India get, we’re going to go out there pretty positively with the bat. If we have to chase runs on this pitch, it’s a very fast outfield and we’re good at chasing.”
Follow over-by-over text commentary from day two of the third Test between India and England live on skysports.com and the Sky Sports App from 3.45am on Friday (first ball at 4am).
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