'Love watching him play' - Stokes in awe of India star 

On Day 1 of the first Test against India, England found a breakthrough when Ben Stokes dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal soon after his century, a crucial moment in the game at the time.

As Rishabh Pant walked in, England might have sensed an opportunity, only for Pant to make his intent clear immediately. He calmly pushed the first ball he faced to mid-on, and then, off the very next delivery, launched it straight back over Stokes’ head for a commanding boundary.

Stokes didn’t try to hide his adulation for the batter, bursting into laughter right after Pant’s audacious shot, impressed by the sheer brilliance of the 27-year-old.

Ben Stokes had a fun exchange with Rishabh Pant right after the boundary // Getty Images

The England captain didn’t hold back in his praise for the wicketkeeper-batter, even while speaking at the press conference on the eve of the second Test.

“Even though he's my opposition, I absolutely love watching Rishabh play cricket,” Stokes said.

“I love the way he takes it on, in all formats of the game. He got stick in his time, but when you let that type of talent be free, that's what can happen like last week, credit to him for two hundreds in the game.

“We know we're going to get our chances, with the way Rishabh plays. So yeah, it's one of them. On a different day, it could have looked a little bit different if one of those had gone straight up and into hands, but yeah, (he is) a very dangerous player. We know what he brings to the Indian team but I really enjoy watching Rishabh play cricket.”

Rishabh Pant lit up the first Test with scores of 134 in the first innings and 118 in the second. He was well supported by centuries from Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and KL Rahul. Yet, even the mountain of runs wasn't enough to deny England a stunning win.

Ollie Pope’s century narrowed the gap to just six runs from India’s first-innings total of 471, and when set a target of 371, it was Ben Duckett’s blistering hundred alongside fifties from Joe Root and Zak Crawley that powered England to their second-highest successful chase at home.

England have their tails up after being 1-0 and have been further boosted by the inclusion of Jofra Archer in the squad, though they have named an unchanged XI for the second Test.

Stokes was thrilled to have Archer back in the mix, even if he wasn't featuring just yet. The England skipper has his eyes on the bigger picture for the fiery pacer, who hasn’t played a Test since 2021 due to constant injuries.

“To have him back with us here after such a long time is I think first and foremost great for him. Great for the team,” Stokes said.

“I felt it was important, even if he didn't get selected this week, that he spends time around the group. Because I think hopefully we will see him play a part in this series going forward. So that time spent with Jof with the other individuals in this group is very important for the rest of the series, you know, not just the performances out on the field as well.”

Stokes faced Archer in the nets and, by his own admission, was quickly reminded of the pacer's remarkable skill and rhythm.

England have sorely missed Archer’s presence across all formats. After a successful return to white-ball cricket over the past year, the 30-year-old is now eyeing a long-awaited comeback to the Test arena.

“Red ball, white ball, we all know that he is an incredibly gifted cricketer,” Stokes noted.

“We see him when he walks out onto the field for England when he's got that ball in his hands.

“The whole atmosphere of the game just changes, regardless of what situation he's in. And yeah, facing him in the nets there, he got the ball swinging quite nicely and just effortless pace. And it's been a while since I've faced them, so a little bit of a wake-up call for me as well."

Now that Archer is back in the mix, Stokes is confident the pacer needs no extra motivation to reclaim his spot as a permanent all-format force.

“I've been in constant communication with him since the injury troubles hit him,” Stokes said.

“And, I said it a few times, he was so determined to get back to playing Test cricket. He loves playing cricket, he loves playing for England. And for him to be here now, I don't think I could really explain what needs to give Jofra Archer any more desire to get back out on the field and represent England in the Test arena.”

As the series moves to Edgbaston, England will be eager to build on their winning momentum and solidify their strong start to the new World Test Championship cycle.

India, meanwhile, in transition under new leadership, will be keen to regroup and bounce back.