England captain Ben Stokes delivered a sensational all-round performance on Day 4 of the fourth Test against India at Old Trafford, Manchester. Stokes scored a majestic 141 runs off 198 balls and also took a five-wicket haul, placing England in a commanding position with a 311-run first-innings lead.
Historic Double from the England Skipper
Stokes’ knock marked his first century in nearly two years, ending a dry spell of 35 innings without a hundred. Earlier in the match, he dismantled India’s batting lineup with figures of 5/72. With this rare feat, he became only the fifth captain in Test history—and the first from England—to score a century and take five wickets in the exact match.
Additionally, Stokes joined the elite company of Gary Sobers and Jacques Kallis as the third all-rounder to cross both 7000 Test runs and 200 wickets. His effort, combined with Joe Root’s 150 and solid top-order contributions, powered England to a massive total of 669.
Ashwin’s Witty but Reflective Take
India’s senior spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who had earlier questioned Stokes’ recent form, responded to a fan who tagged him in a post praising Stokes’ heroics.
“Arrey, sir ji, no one doubted his class!” Ashwin wrote on X.
“𝑯𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒊𝒇𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 2017; 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒉𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔! 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑻𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒂𝒅𝒐𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔.”
While Ashwin lauded Stokes’ skills, he didn’t shy away from critiquing the aggressive batting mindset promoted under Stokes’ leadership. “You are telling every batter to go and play an attacking brand of cricket, so you need to play like that only,” he added.
India Fights Back as Series Hangs in the Balance
With England already leading the five-Test series 2–1 following victories at Leeds and Lord’s, Stokes’ stellar showing has further shifted the momentum toward the hosts. In response, India’s second innings got off to a rocky start, losing two early wickets before Shubman Gill and KL Rahul steadied the chase. At stumps on Day 4, India stood at 86/2 after 29 overs, still trailing by 225 runs.
Also Read: Joe Root Shares Strange Sachin Tendulkar Story Ahead of ENG vs IND Clash
