England cricket great Nasser Hussain was full of praise for Ben Stokes ahead of the explosive all-rounder’s 100th Test in Rajkot against India, saying the England captain treats entertaining fans as his duty while lauding his role in adding spice to Test cricket.

Stokes’s evolution from a world-class all-rounder to one of the most astute captains in Test cricket is complete. The 32-year-old will now be adding his name to the prestigious list of players with 100 or more Tests.

As England look to bounce back from their defeat to India in the second Test in Visakhapatnam, Stokes is on the verge of joining cricketing legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, and Virat Kohli. The all-rounder will also be joining the ranks of other reputed English cricketers like Kevin Pietersen, James Anderson, and Stuart Broad, by becoming the 74th cricketer and the 16th Englishman to have achieved this career accolade.

Throughout his illustrious Test career, Stokes has amassed an impressive total of 6251 runs and 197 wickets in 99 Tests and 179 innings to date. His journey commenced with a sensational century against Australia in the 2013 Ashes, marking his debut Test series. From that memorable moment to his historic Headingley innings against the same opposition, Stokes’s form for the England Test side has consistently reached sublime heights.

Even before the player takes the field in Rajkot on Thursday, February 15, both fans and pundits across the globe have been showering praise on the cricketer.

HE IS AN ENTERTAINER: HUSSAIN

The former England skipper wrote in his column for The Daily Mail that Ben Stokes’s skills set him apart from any other batter who has played for England due to his unique perspective on the game.

“He is also the complete showman. He doesn’t just grind out scores in the manner of Alastair Cook. This is a man who puts bums on seats. Someone who views it as his job to entertainâ€æhe has completed the near impossible task of ticking every single box as an international cricketer,” Nasser Hussain wrote.

Hussain put special emphasis on the player’s recent good form in the longest format of the game, after crossing a bad patch which was filled with injuries and mental health difficulties.

“I can’t remember a boring Test in those past 20 matches. He’s talked the talk but also gone out there and walked the walk, which is so heartwarming at a time when the future of the international game’s longest format appeared to be under threat,” Hussain added.

Stoke’s captaincy skills were especially praised during England’s first Test win over India at Hyderabad, which is something he admittedly wishes to mirror in the Rajkot Test on Thursday.