Ben Stokes : Fortunate to share the dressing room with "accommodating" MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni is often considered as one of the best players to have played in the current era and has won accolades from fans and foes alike. Having spent the duration of an IPL season with the former Indian captain, Ben Stokes called himself fortunate to have played alongside the Indian and shared a dressing room with him.

"The thing about international cricket is that you never really get to know the guys you play against... The T20 leagues allow you to actually know an individual... I've been fortunate to share the dressing room with MS and Steve and the likes of Faf du Plessis as well... In the hotel, MS keeps his door open and anybody can go in. He's been very accommodating... On the field, MS epitomises calmness and, from a cricket point of view, has the best angle in terms of field placements. Obviously, Steve's the captain, but he's aware that MS has the best angle and, so, has worked with him in setting fields. Indeed, Steve and MS have worked really well together," Stokes told TelegraphIndia.

The Englishman became the most expensive foreign import into the IPL at this year's auction where he was bagged by Rising Pune Supergiants at a whopping price of Rs. 14.5 crore. While many questioned his price tag and the baggage that comes along with it, Stokes proved all his doubters wrong with one match winning performance after another. The Englishman scored 316 runs in the tournament and scalped 12 wickets in a performance that did justice to his title of an all-rounder. However, Stokes claimed that after the auction he didn't actually know how much a crore was. 

"I had no idea what even a crore of rupees meant. That the sum was huge came through when a massive number of tweets talked about the figure.Being a professional, I have always judged myself on performances. The emotions I went through are on one side, my performances on the other... People remember performances, not the price one fetched at an auction. Money is one aspect, but a professional first thinks of performances. Performances only. The money side will take care of itself.", Stokes revealed.

The Englishman has now parted ways with the Pune side to join his National team for an ODI series against South Africa ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy. After the South Africa series, which will resume after the Champions Trophy, England will host the West Indies before making the long trip to Australia for the Ashes. Stokes has already featured in the Ashes squad twice (2013 and 2015) but this time he will come face to face against his current captain Steve Smith who leads the Aussies as well. However, Stokes clarified that it would not reduce his competitive attitude against the Aussie.

"Absolutely fine. Something like this is unavoidable when one is playing in a T20 league. Steve's been great with the way he's made decisions and the way he's captained RPS. Steve's got the skills to deliver and stays calm in situations of high pressure... The nationality factor doesn't come into play as, at the end of the day, Steve is the captain and he calls the shots. The rest of us have to back him. It's going to be the same back in England... (Joe) Root is the new Test captain and each one of us has to support him.", the 25-year-old said.

"We'll be fiercely competitive, for that goes without saying. At RPS, it's about having a common goal. It's going to be entirely different in the Ashes. A different ball game."

His performance in the Indian Premier League this season have also changed the memory that had been imprinted in the minds of most Indian fans about the 25-year-old. Stokes experienced his worst moment on a cricket pitch when he was smashed by Carlos Brathwaite for four sixes in a row, in the final over of the World T20 in India last year. Stokes was gracious enough to throw some light on his state of mind after those four deliveries and how he recovered from it.

"It was a very tough moment to deal with, even though I tend to handle success and failure in much the same way... Don't get too low, nor do I jump with ecstasy. Just because I do well one day doesn't guarantee the same performance the very next day. Equally, if I fail today, it doesn't mean I'll fail tomorrow as well... In sport, one has to accept that you win some and lose some.", explained Stokes.

When asked what the formula for success was in T20, Stokes replied, "This is one format where you have to be fearless... You have to back your instincts... As the format is so short, the fear of failure cannot weigh you down."