Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], February 22 : England skipper Ben Stokes on Wednesday heaped praise on pacer Ollie Robinson and said that he has worked "incredibly hard" even after not taking part in the first three Test matches against India.
Adressing the pre-match press conference, Stokes accepted it could be "tough" for a player like Robinson not to be included in the first eleven of the first three Test matches of the five-game Test series against India.
"He has worked incredibly hard while he has been out here. And it is tough for someone like Ollie, who's played such a big part in the game over the last two years, where he has not taken part in a game and the stuff he has done away from the game itself has been very good," Stokes was quoted by ESPNcricinfo as saying.
The English skipper added that the 30-year-old seamer has been doing the "right things" from being outside the field.
"I told him today he has been a great example of doing the right things and waiting your turn if it comes. Not playing the first three Tests can be tough and disappointing. But the way he has cracked on and got his fitness stuff in and not let disappointment get in the way of a potential chance that might come in this series," he added.
The 32-year-old skipper further hailed Robinson and said that he had "unbelievable skills" to become a perfect bowler.
"He's got unbelievable skills to be a successful bowler anywhere in the world. What we've seen in England is he's very skilful, but we've seen more than that in Pakistan. It's similar but different here, but the skill he possesses, he can find any movement, and his release point is always going to be dangerous," he added.
The skipper added that reflecting on performance is more crucial than the result.
"You can have a good game and lose, and a bad game and win, so reflecting on your performance as an individual is the most important thing to do, rather than reflecting on the result itself. So many things go into a Test match and focusing solely on the result of the game is not the best type of reflection," he further added.
"You will have good days and bad days, good games and bad games. Going out there and sticking to the way that we know allows us to play our best cricket is what we constantly focus on. That's what we'll be doing in this game, the next game and other games too," he added.
After the first three Test matches of the series, India enjoy a lead of 2-1 after winning the second and third games by 106 and 434 runs respectively. Meanwhile, the visitors have clinched a 28-run victory in the first Test in Hyderabad.
The upcoming fourth Test will be a decider match in the series. It will be hosted at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi from Friday.
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