'Faster than MS Dhoni': Former England cricketer claims Ben Foakes to have quickest hands as wicketkeeper
The five-match Test series between India and England is currently levelled at 1-1. Even as the visitors have impressed many with their fearless attitude, wicketkeeper-batter Ben Foakes is making headlines for all the good work behind the stumps. He is now being compared to MS Dhoni.
England's bazball approach in Tests is helping them earn a lot of accolades and the credit has to go to skipper Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum. Their fearless attitude has also worked wonders so far on the India tour. But one player who has impressed many with his skills on the tour has been wicketkeeper Ben Foakes. Former England cricketer Alec Stewart has bestowed high praise for Foakes lauding him for showcasing exceptional skills behind the wickets.
Moreover, he has also claimed that Foakes has the quickest hands than any one else in cricket, even better than MS Dhoni who is regarded all-time best wicketkeeper in the sport. "He does things that no one else can do. His hand speed is second to none. MS Dhoni had quick hands but he (Foakes) has the quickest hands in the game and the ball stays in them," Stewart said while speaking to The Times.
Bern Foakes plays for Surrey in County Cricket and being the Director of Cricket there, he was witness to Foakes' intense preparation for the India tour where he expected a lot of spin to be bowled. Stewart, himself a brilliant wicketkeeper of his time, is also pleased to see that Foakes is being rewarded for the hard work he put in while training before the tour. "Foakes has got massive natural talent but his work ethic, and attention to detail, is as good as I've come across both when I played and since I've been in this role.
"He leaves no stone unturned. He works specifics and the quality of the work is impressive. He knew there would be a lot of spin bowling so it (his training) was 80-20 in favour of his standing-up stuff, which he's brilliant at anyway - the ball bouncing, the ball turning, the ball keeping low. That's why I was so pleased for him, (after) all the hours he's put in, and then he gets rewarded with some of the catches he took," Stewart added.
For the unversed, Ben Foakes hs been exceptional in the ongoing India tour, and even better than his Indian counterpart KS Bharat at times. He has taken quite a few tough catches behind the wickets especially the ones that stayed low on the third and fourth days of the Test matches. With three more matches to go, Foakes will be in focus even more and he will be keen on conitnuing his good work for the rest of the series.