England Cricket's Inside Story – Who's Robin Van Persie And Why Ollie Pope A 'Messy Puppy'

Cricket is a wonderful team game and players not only learn to co-exist but also appreciate each other’s habits and idiosyncrasies. It’s not only adjusting to the pace and bounce of pitches or executing the perfect reverse sweep or scoop over the wicket-keeper, cricket is much more than that and life in a dressing room is special. Every cricketer is unique and some of the funniest moments add to the spirit and camaraderie in a team. (More Cricket News)

International tournaments like the Indian Premier League and the County season see top cricketers not only sharing common space but exchange ideas on all-round development of the game. Dressing rooms can be like ‘institutions.’ Observing top players go through their rituals before a match can be great education. Cricket Teammates is a video that captures some intriguing insights on a clutch of top cricketers like Joe Root and Hashim Amla. Three English cricketers -- Jason Roy, Reece Topley and Laurie Evans – talk about their biggest inspiration, the best footballer cricketer and of course, the messiest roomy.

Roy, who has played the IPL, and left-arm seamer Topley are part of the England cricket team that will be playing a limited overs series starting with a T20 international in Southampton on Thursday. Roy will ‘meet’ several Indian players with whom he crossed paths during the IPL.

So, who is the coolest cricketer around? Laurie Evans recalls how South African batsman and former skipper Hashim Amla had a “calming” influence on the dressing room. Roy adds how the mental side of the game has been best demonstrated by men like Kevin Pietersen, Amla, Kumar Sangakkara, Ricky Ponting and Graeme Smith.

Joe Root, who along with Jonny Bairstow, saw England to a seven-wicket victory over India in Birmingham and helped draw the five-match series 2-2, has vast reservoirs of energy to last a gruelling match. But it’s Ben Foakes, who loves to be a man of perfection and spends overtime at the nets.

Football is a common game for players to unwind and warm-up before a match or practice session. MS Dhoni started his life as a goalkeeper but Topley says Foakes has got a left-foot like Dutch and Manchester United legend Robin Van Persie!

And, Ollie Pope may be a solid top-order Test batsman but he can be a teammate’s nightmare. Jason Roy calls Pope ‘horrendous’ and a ‘messy puppy,’ taking up most of a room he once shared with the young Englishman!

(With inputs from Soumitra Bose)