- Tuesday, February 25, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
ENGLAND’S ambition to win a Test series in India received a body blow on Sunday (18) when they were hammered by the hosts by 434 runs in the third match in Rajkot as the Three Lions now trail 1-2 in the five-match affair.
Captain Ben Stokes has not yet lost hope of clinching the series by winning the remaining two games and is even contemplating returning to bowling with head coach Brendon McCullum admitting that while it is a good sign, they don’t want the ace all-rounder to push himself unnecessarily.
The 32-year-old Stokes, who is still recovering from a knee surgery, hasn’t bowled since the second Ashes Test in June last year.
Read: India pacer Jasprit Bumrah’s hilarious take on England’s Bazball: ‘They are not even hitting’
“Well, it’s good that he’s actually getting into a state where he thinks he might bowl,” McCullum was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo on Monday (19).
“But Ben is clever; he’s really clever as well. He won’t bowl unless he thinks he’s legitimately able to bowl. The problem would be if he starts getting into a spell and then he can’t get out of the spell. So we’ll see what unfolds.
Read: India crush hapless England by 434 runs to lead Test series 2-1
“If he does get that bit between his teeth, then let’s see where the danger lies there and try and pull him away from it. But it’s a good sign,” McCullum added.
Ahead of the third Test, Stokes had said he “pinky promised” his physiotherapist he won’t be bowling in the ongoing series. But when asked if he will be reprising his all-rounder’s role after the 434-run defeat in the match, Stokes, who had a forgetful 100th Test match in Rajkot, said, “I’m not saying yes, I’m not saying no”.
“Me being me, I’m always very optimistic about most things. That will be a more detailed chat with the medical team about what workload I have done to pass me off as not being a massive risk.”
The New Zealand-born Stokes has taken 197 wickets in Tests at an average of 32.07 with four five-wicket and eight four-wicket hauls.
During the Rajkot Test, Stokes had even trained at 100 per cent intensity and conceded that he felt pretty good.
“I managed to bowl at 100 per cent in one of the warm-up days here which made me feel pretty good. I felt like I could have bowled in the game but that would have been stupid.”
After winning the series opener by 28 runs, England fell to a 106-run defeat followed by one of their worst losses in Rajkot to go 2-1 down in the series with matches left in Ranchi and Dharamsala.
The England team would benefit immensely if the pace all-rounder started bowling again. The visitors opted to field just one seamer in the first two Tests.
They dropped Shoaib Bashir to pick both James Anderson and Mark Wood in the third game. England’s “Bazball” approach has also backfired big time in the third Test which they lost by a massive 434 runs, their largest defeat in terms of runs since 1934.
But McCullum said while the defeat is definitely hurting the visitors, they will continue with their attacking ‘Bazball’ approach in the remainder of the five-match series. McCullum said he has “no regrets” about their approach. “We’ll turn the page and go quids in again trying to put India under pressure,” McCullum was quoted as saying by BBC Sport.
The fourth match starts in Ranchi on Friday (23).
The last time England won a Test series in India was in 2012-13 when Alastair Cook’s side won a four-match series 2-1.
(With PTI inputs)
