Jonny Bairstow.
Credit: PTI Photo
Dharamsala: Set to complete a century of Test matches, England wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow on Tuesday said reaching the landmark "means a hell of a lot" to him given that he has had to wade through testing times.
The 34-year-old will become the 17th Englishman to get a 100th Test cap when he steps out for the fifth and final Test against India starting here on Thursday and it will be an emotional week for Bairstow, who endured a tough childhood and a long career-threatening injury.
"It means hell of a lot. It will be an emotional week for me," Bairstow said of the marquee game.
Bairstow was just 8 when his father David, a former England wicketkeeper, died by suicide. His mother Janet kept the family together even as she battled and defeated breast cancer twice.
Speaking about the pitch for the match, he lauded the groundsmen for doing a brilliant job not long after the venue's outfield was criticised during the ODI World Cup.
"The ground staff has done a brilliant job with the outfield considering the state it was in during the ODI World Cup.
"It looks like a good pitch and if you are alluding to the fast bowlers getting help from the surface, it will be favourable to both teams," Bairstow said.
Bairstow has also played his 100th ODI in Dharamsala and asked about the venue, he said, "Cape Town is my favourite but don't think there is a more picturesque ground in the world than Dharamsala."
India have already sealed an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the series.