England captain Ben Stokes delivered a masterclass in all‑round cricket during the 4th Test against India at Old Trafford. He not only scored his 14th Test century, who also captured five crucial wickets, dismantling the Indian batting lineup with ruthless efficiency—an astonishing achievement that very few in the game have ever managed.
India’s innings started promisingly with Sai Sudharsan offering resistance, but his attempt at a swivel pull was caught at long leg—Stokes had bowled it short of length, drawing the stroke and sparking the collapse. Soon after, Shubman Gill marched forward only to miss the line; the impact off the knee roll left umpire Rod Tucker with no hesitation to raise his finger. Gill’s review failed as the ball angled back in. Shardul Thakur followed suit—edged and snaffled by Duckett at gully off Stokes—and Anshul Kamboj, playing on debut, edged another seaming full-length delivery to keeper Smith, concluding Stokes’s five‑wicket haul.
On a day marked by overcast skies and swinging conditions, Stokes’s spell of 5/72 marked his first five-wicket haul in eight years—his last coming at Lord’s in 2017. As England’s skipper, he became the first England captain since 1983 to take a fifer at home, joining the elite ranks alongside Botham, Kallis, and Sobers as all-round legends with ten centuries and at least five five-fors.
Across two days, Ben Stokes led from the front—warrior both with bat and ball. He scored a commanding 141 (from 198 balls, with 11 fours and 3 sixes) to help England post a colossal 669 all out, their highest-ever total at Old Trafford. That put them in a dominant position with a 311-run first-innings lead over India.
