"Take the bull by its horns but he doesn't do that" - Aakash Chopra questions Ben Stokes' batting position in first 2 IND vs ENG Tests
Aakash Chopra has questioned Ben Stokes for batting relatively down the order in the first two Tests between India and England.
Stokes has aggregated 134 runs at an average of 33.50 in four innings. While the visitors won the first Test in Hyderabad by 28 runs, Rohit Sharma and company drew level in the series by completing a convincing 106-run win in the second game in Visakhapatnam on Monday, February 5.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra criticized Stokes for not leading from the front. He explained (3:50):
"When you see Ben Stokes bat, you say he is not part of this Bazball concept. You are this team's captain, you are not bowling, and you are the only left-hander after Ben Duckett in the top six, so why not bat up the order?"
"Take the bull by its horns but he doesn't do that. Go and fight from the front as you are the captain but he always comes at No. 6. He bats with the tail and even when he is batting with the tail, he is batting on 10-12 runs off 30 balls at times," the former India opener added.
Chopra noted that Stokes doesn't show any urgency when he is at the crease. He added the leader of the Bazball philosophy is not thinking about that at all when it comes to his batting.
"No one talks about it but they should" - Aakash Chopra on Ben Stokes predominantly batting with the tail
![Ben Stokes batted at a strike rate of 65.68 in the first two Tests. [P/C: Getty]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/02/ef65a-17072755180070-1920.jpg?w=500)
Aakash Chopra reckons Ben Stokes is avoiding criticism by batting down the order. He elaborated (7:35):
"You don't go to bat up the order. No one talks about it but they should. If you bat with the tail, you become a hero if you score runs and if you get out, you say what could he have done with the tail? He is too good a player to become a part of that conversation."
The cricketer-turned-commentator added that the England skipper should promote himself in the batting order and be ready to face the music if he fails.
"The conversation should be that he came at No. 4 or No. 5 and that he controls the match. The day he scores runs, they will be game-winning, and if he gets out, he has let the team down. That should be the conversation. The earlier conversation does not make sense," Chopra stated.
Stokes' 70-run knock in the first innings of the Hyderabad Test is his only half-century in the series thus far. The left-handed batter scored 47 runs in the first innings of the Visakhapatnam Test. He was castled by Ravichandran Ashwin for a 33-ball six and run out by Shreyas Iyer for a 29-ball 11 in his other two outings.