In a gripping showdown during the first Test against India, England’s captain, Ben Stokes, found himself at a loss against the mastery of Indian bowlers. After succumbing to Jasprit Bumrah’s inswinging delivery in the first innings, Stokes was left bewildered by Ravichandran Ashwin’s crafty spin in the second innings.
Facing the relentless attack of Ashwin, Stokes struggled to decipher the magician’s delivery on Saturday, ultimately falling prey to his guile. Despite the mounting pressure on England in the second session of Day 3, Stokes could only muster 6 runs from 33 balls before his departure.
This marked the 12th instance in Test cricket that Stokes had fallen victim to Ashwin’s prowess, making him the bowler’s most frequent dismissal. Indeed, no other bowler has managed to dismiss the England captain as consistently in the longest format of the game.
Ashwin’s dominance over Stokes has been a recurring theme, establishing the Indian star as a formidable opponent for the England stalwart. Remarkably, Stokes was previously tied at the top spot, alongside David Warner, as the batsman most frequently dismissed by Ashwin.
📽️ R Ashwin to Ben Stokes
What a delivery 🙌#TeamIndia | #INDvENG | @ashwinravi99 | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/sxBGnhmhl0
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 27, 2024
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Reflecting on historic batter-bowler rivalries in Test cricket, the record for most dismissals of a single batsman by a bowler is held by Australia’s Glenn McGrath, who claimed England’s Michael Atherton’s wicket on 19 occasions. Additionally, Stuart Broad retired with an impressive tally of 17 dismissals of Warner, who recently concluded his Test career.
In a similar vein, among Indian batsmen, Cheteshwar Pujara has faced repeated challenges from Australia’s Nathan Lyon, falling victim to him 13 times throughout his Test career.
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