If I fail today it does not mean I am going to fail tomorrow: Ben Stokes

English all-rounder Ben Stokes made headlines earlier this year by becoming the most expensive overseas player in the IPL. He was picked up by Rising Pune Supergiant for a whopping Rs. 14.5 crores after a round of fierce bidding.

In an exclusive interview with Times of India, Stokes shared some insights about his international career and his debut in the cash-rich Indian Premier League.

The swashbuckling southpaw had the misfortune of bowling the fateful final over to Carlos Brathwaite in the final of the World T20 last year. Chasing a target of 156, West Indies needed 19 runs off the final over, which was bowled by Ben Stokes. Brathwaite smashed the Englishman for 4 consecutive sixes and led the Windies to another T20 World Cup title. Stokes was obviously devastated, but he’s come a long way from that final in Eden Gardens.

Upon being asked whether or not he had a word with Stuart Broad, who was taken to the cleaners by Yuvraj Singh in the inaugural T20 World Cup, he said, “No, I did not. I think I must have received a text from him. I got texts from so many people. I try and deal with success as I deal with failure. I try and not get too high when I do well because it does not necessarily mean I will do well the next day. Same with failure. If I fail today, does not mean I am going to fail tomorrow.”

Stokes was asked to debate on four best batsmen in the world. He was quick to answer, “Root, Kohli, Smith and Williamson. They don’t get out. They don’t want to get out. They are the ones who want to have the big hundreds against their names,” added Stokes.

“They work relentlessly on their game. When any team comes to play against England, they want to get Root early as we want to get Kohli, Williamson and Smith.”

When asked about the toughest to bowl to amongst these four, Stokes highlighted NZ skipper’s name, “Kane (Williamson) is very hard to get out, doesn’t necessarily punish you whereas Smith and Kohli have a more destructive gear once they have get to an 80 or a 100. Once Kane’s in, he is in. He doesn’t obviously change gears but he ends up getting 150 off 200 anyway,” Said Stokes.

Ben Stokes has had a good run with the bat in the Test series against India. Although England lost the series 4-0, Stokes was one of the few players who was lethal with both bat and ball. The Rising Pune Supergiant, who’ve had a forgettable 2016 season in the IPL, will look to restore some lost pride with the inclusion of the star all-rounder.

The Supergiant will clash against 2-time champions Mumbai Indians on 6th April for their first game of the season. With Mitchell Marsh and Ravichandran Ashwin being ruled out with injuries, Stokes will have a major role to play for the Supergiant if they are to make it to the qualifiers.