A shadow of himself: Ben Stokes spooked by ‘bogeyman’ Ashwin

In the second innings of the third Test, when Ben Stokes was out leg earlier than to Ravichandran Ashwin, that was the eleventh time the England allrounder had fallen prey to the Indian off-spinner. A quicker supply nabbed Stokes and he didn’t evaluation the on-field umpire’s resolution. He regarded defeated.
A tally of 146 runs in six innings within the collection thus far just isn’t befitting Stokes’ stature because the world’s greatest allrounder. He began off properly, with 82 within the first innings of the primary Test. On a benign pitch, nonetheless, he was taking part in with out stress. Joe Root and Dom Sibley had already laid the muse for a giant complete. Stokes has had scored 7, 18, 8, 6 and 25 since. As the ball began to show, he has fizzled.
Stokes’ poor kind is a giant purpose why England have didn’t counter India’s spin assault on turning pitches. In a collection the place he was anticipated to be Joe Root’s largest help batting-wise, the 29-year-old has let his staff down. England’s rotation coverage has made issues worse. Stokes has performed Tests in India earlier than. He is an Indian Premier League common and circumstances right here will not be unknown to him. His failure has made England a one-man batting unit. Bereft of help, Root’s batting, too, has slipped after his double century within the first Test.
Not a cheerful searching floor
Since August 2019, Stokes has scored 1,422 runs in 18 Tests, together with 4 centuries. His 135 not out in opposition to Australia at Leeds can be remembered for a very long time. He lorded over the West Indies final season earlier than taking compassionate depart to be together with his ailing father. However, Stokes’ document in India has been underwhelming. His batting common right here is 32, in comparison with his profession common of 37, whereas his bowling common on this a part of the world is 46, vis-à-vis his profession common of 31.
“Stokes is obviously one of the best players, who has delivered on many occasions. But to be the World No.1, a player needs to be successful against every kind of bowling in different conditions,” stated former Pakistan captain Asif Iqbal. He described England’s choice flaws that he says have affected the efficiency of gamers like Stokes.
Is Stokes’ drawback in opposition to spin on turners technical? Iqbal disagreed. “Certain bowlers become bogeys to certain batsmen, and Ashwin has become Stokes’ bogey bowler, but the term ‘technical’ is overused by coaches. Technique is what suits a batsman to adapt to certain conditions, not what the coaching book says. Ashwin has a gained a psychological upper hand over Stokes, but the latter is good enough to overcome that. Stokes has reached a level where he knows what technical adjustments he needs to make to counter spin on turners. He doesn’t need any coaching for that. Stokes’ problem is that he is not playing his natural game.” Iqbal instructed The Indian Express.
No method working
On a rank turner at Chepauk within the second Test, Stokes was trusting his defence. He was able to bide his time within the center, as his knocks – 18 off 34 balls and eight off 51 balls – would attest. He was dismissed by an Ashwin magnificence within the first innings, whereas the left-hander grew to become too cagey within the second. In Ahmedabad additionally, he tried to graft within the first innings. Three futile makes an attempt later, Stokes determined to throw his bat at nearly the whole lot within the second dig.
“Stokes’ batting is full of flair and, at the moment, flair is missing from his game. England are already three-four wickets down for very little when he is coming to the crease and he is restraining his natural game, thinking that he will be criticised if he gets out playing with flair. This is down to England’s ridiculous rotation policy, which is preventing them from playing with a settled team. The biggest flaw in English cricket at the moment is this laughable rotation policy, which is affecting the rhythm of their players,” Iqbal felt.
“Top-order batsmen are struggling to get into the groove because there’s no continuity. Jonny Bairstow played well in Sri Lanka before he was rested for the first two Tests in India. When he came back, he bagged a pair. A batsman can get out for nought in both innings, but in difficult conditions, Bairstow had to start all over again. And as the top order is not scoring runs, England’s middle order, a batsman like Stokes, has been suffering from the negative trickle-down effect. Teams are built not by rotation but by continuity.”
Rotation an issue
With England scheduled to play 17 Tests this yr, their cricket hierarchy has centered on workload and psychological fatigue administration in Covid occasions, when gamers are working below strict bio-secure protocols.
“Test cricket is the pinnacle. Don’t think players would like to miss a Test to take rest. England, at the moment, don’t have the bench strength to replace the players they are resting. To rotate, you have to have bench strength like India.”
The ex-Pakistan skipper was clear that greater than the Motera pitch, England’s poor cricket was the rationale for his or her defeat within the third Test.
“On bad wickets, you get out caught around the bat, you don’t get out bowled or LBW. A lot of batsmen got out to straight deliveries. Test cricket is about mastering different conditions, which England have failed to do.”