Boria Majumdar in Manchester
How good is Ben Stokes and is there anything that he can’t do? Be it the Ashes, World Cup or the current series versus India, the all-rounder has had maximum impact each time he has played under mounting pressure.
An extraordinary athlete, Stokes is always in the game and what you get from him is 100 per cent commitment when he steps out for his team. Blessed with incredible talent, Stokes has honed his skills over the years and is now in that zone where he can hardly put a foot wrong on a day he gets going. More important is his clarity of mind. Soon after Shubman Gill came into bat, he stepped up and that’s when the match changed in favour of England.
Stokes knew Gill has a weakness against the incoming ball and kept probing till he was rewarded. With this wicket, the momentum shifted completely. Then again, when India were rebuilding with Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur and gradually taking control, Stokes landed a counterpunch by dismissing both. He has been captain fantastic for England and the truth is, he has outperformed Gill as skipper.
“There is always pressure of expectations and that’s good,” Stokes had once said to me. “If you are an important player in your team, only then will people expect you to win matches. That’s what a performer wants and aspires to. At the same time, I am not one who will tell myself at the start of the season that I have to score x hundred runs or pick x wickets. That’s not how things work. Often you can score less but have maximum impact. It is not always about scoring many runs or picking many wickets. The most important thing is for your team to win and that’s my only focus.”
England had almost won the T20 World Cup at Eden Gardens in 2016. Their supporters had started to celebrate when Stokes conceded those four sixes against Carlos Brathwaite. He hunched low in the middle of the pitch shell-shocked. It was a photograph that went viral. England were defeated by a resurgent West Indies and Stokes was the villain.
He moved on and how! He won the 2019 World Cup for his team, won some incredible Test matches and continues to do extraordinary things, just like what he did at Lord’s and yet again in Manchester.
As captain, there is nothing that he can’t do on the cricket field and that makes the current England team what it is. His spell at Lord’s left everyone gasping for breath! How is it possible? With such consistency? Under such pressure?
Against India, Stokes has been in full bloom. Fearless and confident of his ability, he set the standards and managed to stage a comeback each time India seized the momentum.
The truth is Stokes is the difference between the two sides. He has been at its best with his counterattacks and it is his counterpunches that have floored India. Even in defeat, Stokes was upbeat and at no point did he cease to inspire or motivate. In fact, with Stokes there, it is impossible to punt against England in the days ahead.
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