NEW DELHI: England captain Ben Stokes put his body on the line to lead his team to a thrilling 22-run win over India at Lord’s, according to teammate Joe Root. Stokes delivered a remarkable all-round performance, taking five wickets, scoring 77 runs, and effecting a crucial run-out of Rishabh Pant across two innings of relentless effort.Inspired by their skipper, England sealed victory on a dramatic final day to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.What stood out most was the physical toll Stokes endured—bowling a total of 44 overs, including demanding spells of 9.2 and 10 overs on Day 5. It was the most the 34-year-old had bowled in more than six years, despite suffering two serious hamstring injuries in the last 12 months.Root, who captained England before Stokes, said he was amazed by the all-rounder’s resilience and recalled how hard it was to stop him from overextending himself.
“You can try, but it doesn’t make any difference. I tried for five years,” Root said.“I mentioned it but he doesn’t always listen to me. He didn’t listen to me when I was captain!
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“That’s his call now. It was an incredible effort to be able to do that, but that’s just how he’s built, I guess. He’s just desperate to be the man and make things happen.“It’s a great sign for us moving forward, it really is, because that’s back to his best. He’s got that mentality and that desire to win games and we’re lucky to have him as our leader.”
During the first innings, England head coach Brendon McCullum even sent a message through bowling consultant Tim Southee asking Stokes to take a break. Root admitted he too feared Stokes might reach a breaking point, but now acknowledges that Stokes knows his body best.“I was just panicking that he wasn’t going to make it through the game after a couple of bad injuries but he clearly trusts his body now,” he said.“He knows what he’s doing and he’s got a good handle on where he’s at physically.”After the match, Stokes spoke about his exhaustion, telling reporters he was looking forward to some well-earned rest.He said, “I could not wait to just lie on my bed for four days and then be raring to go for (next week’s fourth Test at) Manchester.”The fourth Test at Old Trafford begins on July 23.
