IPL 2019 | You get to share dressing rooms with people from all over the world here, says Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes has played 33 matches in the IPL so far since his debut against Mumbai Indians in 2017 where he played for Rising Pune Giants. With over 300 runs and more than 10 wickets, he was arguably one of the most valuable players of the league in 2017. In 2018, he attracted Rajasthan Royals who snapped him in an extremely costly deal. The star player is still maintaining his position in RR with an average of 23.11 and strike rate of 132.48 in the league.

Explaining about his experience in the IPL, the 27-year-old told that he had a good time in India constituted with varied cultures and beliefs and he further added that the beauty behind this cash-rich league is he gets to share the dressing room with people all over the world.

“The beauty about this league is that you get to share changing rooms with people from all over the world and also with some of the local guys whom you would probably never get a chance to meet. You get to interact with different types of personalities and beliefs and get more understanding about different cultures and the way the people think,” Stokes told TOI.

The RR all-rounder said that the league also helps to create temporary alliances and also said that he showed his competitiveness against the counterparts only on the field and maintained fraternity out of the game site. The all-rounder remembered his association with Steve Smith from his Pune days in the league. 

“I played with Steve for a year in Pune as well. But once it crosses the white line against Australia, the time that you spent together is put to one side. When you get into a competitive environment playing international cricket, whether you know someone or not, you want to get them out and make sure that you are on the winning team. It’s the same here in the IPL. I played against Sunrisers (Hyderabad) and I have played with Jonny since I was 14 years old and I know him really well but on that day, we were competitors.” Stokes explained.

“Once you are on that field of battle, it’s us against you,” he says, before adding, “But then after the series is done, one of the done things is to go into each others’ change rooms and spend two-three hours together, have a few beer and all.” 

With all the discussions about workload management during the league in India, Stokes, who plays international cricket and the IPL has said that managing both demands a lot from a cricketer's body. The 27-year-old cricketer said that things get tougher in each passing year. 

“Playing international cricket alongside things like IPL is very demanding on the body. I’m 27 now, so each year, everything gets tougher; the body wakes up sore more often. You have to learn to manage it. You have to open yourself up to criticism if you are an international player. And if you accept that, it will be easier to deal with things when they aren’t going well. You just have to take it in your stride. A big part of being an international sportsman is that you will receive more criticism than praise,” Stokes mentioned.