"ICC should not allow Ashwin to bowl when I am batting: Ben Stokes"- Fans roast English captain for his poor batting show in Test series vs India
England captain Ben Stokes faced severe criticism from fans after his dismal performance with the bat in the five-match Test series against India. He finished with another poor show in the second innings of the final Test in Dharamsala, scoring only two runs.
Stokes began the series on a decent note with a valiant knock of 70 in the first innings of the opening Test in Hyderabad to help England post a fighting total of 246. He then scored only six runs in the second innings, but Ollie Pope's sensational innings helped the visitors secure a memorable victory.
In the next two Tests in Vizag and Rajkot, Stokes scored 47 & 11 and 41 & 15 respectively, where India fought through pressure situations to register victories. Things then went completely downhill for Ben Stokes in Ranchi and Dharamsala where he managed scores of 3 & 4 and 0 & 2, respectively.
Across 10 innings, the English captain could only amass 199 runs at a poor average of 19.99, including a solitary half-century. Fans took note of the same and dished out criticism with their reactions on X.
One user posted humorously:
"ICC should not allow Ashwin to bowl when I am batting" - Ben Stokes
Here are some of the best reactions:
"We've been outplayed by a better team"- England captain Ben Stokes after series loss vs India
Speaking at the post-match presentation after losing the fifth Test, English skipper reflected on the loss and said:
"Now that series comes to an end, we've been outplayed by a better team, I think now with me who I am and how I look at things, with so much cricket coming up, Pakistan and New Zealand, taking the positives from series, something that I'll take it forward and move on."
He continued:
"Not necessarily worried me, as a series on whole, there were small moments that we couldn't keep ourselves on top, trying to understand and be a bit more relentless, we all as individuals know that.
"When India get on top, the men come around the bat, when you have quality bowlers like Ashwin, Jadeja, you have to find ways to get the fielders around you out of the way, get the couple of sweeps away and you got to be positive, sometimes it can be the downfall, but the intent is always there."
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