I’ve never seen a player work as hard at his game as Ben Stokes, says Amol Muzumdar
Rajasthan Royals’ batting coach Amol Muzumdar was all praise for England all-rounder Ben Stokes’ level of hard work and unbelievable work ethic during practice sessions. Stokes’ magical match-winning innings took his team to a nerve-wracking one-wicket win in the third Ashes Test.
As the whole world sings praises to the England all-rounder’s feat to level the Ashes series from the jaws of defeat, a Mumbaikar who has played a small, but significant part in his success feels elated. Though Stokes did not enjoy much success with the bat or ball this time in the IPL (123 runs in nine games, with only six wickets), he seems to have benefited from plenty of practice sessions with the Royals' batting coach Muzumdar, the former Mumbai stalwart.
"We spent a lot of time together this IPL season. I've seen many cricketers, but I've never seen anyone working as hard at his game than Stokes. His work ethics are unbelievable. When a player has that kind of a work ethic, the job of a coach becomes much easier," Muzumdar told TOI.
According to the former Mumbai captain, Stokes goes full throttle even during the training sessions – something unique amidst the tight schedules of the IPL.
"He would bat for a couple of hours in the nets. There would be times when he would tell me to keep throwing the ball at him, which I didn't mind! In every training session, he would request me to 'push' him a bit harder. After that, he would bowl for around 45 minutes, and that too at full tilt. There's nothing called a 'half-hearted' effort with Stokes. either he's there, or you will not find him. In the end, he would practise his fielding skills, and that too for an hour! In fielding sessions too, if you gave him an easy catch, he wouldn't appreciate it!" Muzumdar said.
Stokes’ 76-run last wicket partnership with Jack Leach sealed the deal for yet another memorable Ashes moment at Headingley. But Muzumdar saw the signs of an epic finale long before the left-hander let loose on the Aussie bowlers.
"What struck me was his body language when he arrived at the crease the previous evening when Joe Root was batting at the other end. The way he defended the ball, he looked determined. You could see it from his body language. He was playing with the same approach that we called 'khadoos' (determined) in Mumbai parlance. He defended even the last ball of the day strongly. That just laid a superb foundation for him. What I particularly liked is the versatility that he showed throughout this innings. At one stage, he was batting on 2 off 40 balls or something, and then he just blazed his way through. It was a complete innings," Muzumdar said.