Ben Stokes, the captain of England, was excellent with the bowling ball in the first innings of the Indians in the fourth test of the Anderson-Tendulkar target. The game began on Wednesday, July 23 at the Old Trafford in Manchester with English in the lead as they won the toss and used the first innings to bat.
The best bowler in the team was Stokes who achieved the remarkable number of five wickets. Batters he removed included Sai Sudharsan (61), Shubman Gill (12), Shardul Thakur (41), Washington Sundar (27), and Anshul Kamboj (0).
The all-rounder’s final stats were excellent, with 5 wickets for 72 runs in 24 overs. This was Stokes’ fifth five-wicket haul in his Test career and his first one since September 2017.
He produced yet another powerful spell, continuing his excellent bowling form. For his effort, the 34-year-old received a ton of social media praise. Here are a few of the most popular responses on X:
Has been the bowler of the series so far for England.
How much have England missed his bowling over the last couple of years due to injury.
Has been in solid rhythm all through the series. Well done Ben stokes🔥🔥 #INDvsENG
— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) July 24, 2025A batter looks settled, Ben Stokes takes a wicket.
A partnership starts to build, Ben Stokes picks up a wicket.
A batter nears his milestone, Ben Stokes stops him
India takes an upper hand in the game, Ben Stokes stops the momentum.
Absolute GOAT stuff 🐐 pic.twitter.com/Vs1Ghk1aaJ
— Dinda Academy (@academy_dinda) July 24, 2025Every time the game tilts towards India, Ben Stokes shows up.
A set batter? Gone.
A growing stand? Broken.
A milestone in sight? Denied.
Momentum shifting? Snatched back.
This is not just skill, it’s dominance. 🐐#INDvsENG #BenStokes pic.twitter.com/fRx3LbPgDN
— Lalit Kaur Dhillon (@LalitKaur) July 24, 2025“Absolutely well-deserved fifer! He toiled hard, stayed consistent, and led from the front—a captain’s spell through and through. Moments like these define greatness. Take a bow,” wrote a fan.
“Ben Stokes has given everything for Test cricket, gave up IPL contract & other leagues for the longer format to lead his country. Whenever other bowlers are unavailable, he gives 110%, bowling his heart out in each & every game,” remarked another.
“Before this series, Ben Stokes was England’s 16th highest wicket-taker in Tests. He has now climbed to 12th, level with Darren Gough, and could break into the top 10 by the end of the series,” chimed in yet another.
Stokes is the top wicket-taker of this series. The right arm pacer has picked up 16 wickets in seven innings at an average of 24.75.
The 35-year-old player spent a very long time to bowl during the Day 5 of the third Test, playing an important role in the thrilling win of England against India at the Lord s ground in London by 22 runs. His 44 and 33 together with five wickets in the two innings earned him the Player of the Match award.
Ben Stokes’ Five-Wicket Haul Restricts India to 358 on Day 2 of Manchester Test
On the 1st day, Team India openers, KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal came out to bat first playing a good 94-run partnership. Sai Sudharsan and Jaiswal got half-centuries yet could not convert them into substantial scores.
Even though Rishabh Pant had a fractured toe, he demonstrated incredible determination and character by walking to the batting line. In his first game he was playing a reverse sweep off a Chris Woakes delivery on Day 1 and was hit on the toe.
The southpaw was retired injured and seemed to be in a lot of agony. On Day 2, though, he picked up his game again and finished with 54 runs off 75 deliveries.
Jofra Archer claimed three scalps, while Ben Stokes claimed five. In the end, India was bowled out for 358.
