'There's Still time For IPL'- Rajasthan Royals To Ben Stokes Following England All-Rounder's Whirlwind Knock In Chennai

England all-rounder Ben Stokes was at his swashbuckling best in the first session of the second day of the ongoing Test, taking the attack to a hapless Indian bowling attack as the visitors continued to pile on the misery on the home side.

England lost their opener Dom Sibley (87) on what turned out to be the last ball of the first day and they would have hoped of making use of the opportunity to make a few inroads into the home sides’ batting-unit.

Ben Stokes survived a few nervy calls due to balls turning from the rough before he decided to launch a counterattack on the Indian spinners.

India’s first real chance against Ben Stokes came when he tried to reverse-sweep Ashwin without real conviction. He missed it and India went for the review where, to the home side’s dismay, it was revealed that the ball had struck the southpaw’s gloves.

Ashwin missed a tough caught & bowled opportunity when Ben Stokes hit one straight down the ground and Cheteshwar Pujara got his hands on the ball after the southpaw slog-swept one over mid-wicket.

Post that, Stokes was absolutely imperious. And, out came his trademark slog sweeps and reverse-sweeps as the Durham all-rounder feasted on the inexperienced of Shahbaz Nadeem and Washington Sundar.

The swashbuckler reached his half-century in a mere 73 balls and with Joe Root looking impenetrable at the other end, another long day beckons for Team India.

At the time of writing, the duo had stitched 111 runs for the 4th wicket with Stokes nearing his second Test ton in India.

Following his onslaught against the Indian bowlers, Ben Stokes IPL franchise took to their official Twitter account to remind the southpaw there is still time for the 14th season of the T20 league to commence.

”Hey Ben, we appreciate the form, but there’s still time for #IPL. ? 50* off 73. ? #INDvENG | ?: @cricbuzz

Hey Ben, we appreciate the form, but there's still time for #IPL. ?

50* off 73. ?#INDvENG | ?: @cricbuzz pic.twitter.com/whocY4M1e8

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) February 6, 2021