Ben Stokes to bowl in India Tests? England captain increases bowling workload

England all-rounder Ben Stokes has won many games for the Three Lions with the bat since he took over as the captain of the red ball team. Stokes has been rarely found bowling in Test cricket due to his knee injury for which he underwent surgery in November last year. Since then Stokes has been undergoing his rehabilitation and is resisting bowling in international games.

Ahead of the third Test match against India, Ben Stokes did a small 20-minute bowling practice in Rajkot, as per ESPNCricinfo. While speaking in the press conference ahead of the match, Stokes revealed that he won’t bowl in the rest of the series and he has promised this to his physio. Adding up he stated that he stated that he is growing in confidence after every match from the time he bowled in his last Test match.

Ben Stokes predicts his return to bowling in Tests

Ben Stokes said, “No, I still won’t bowl in this series. I’ve pinky-promised my physio I won’t be loosening up to bowl even if everything is feeling well because that would just be a risk that’s not worth it. It’s good. Little and often now. I managed to step it up from when I bowled around the last Test match… just growing with more confidence.”

There were videos shared on social media of Ben Stokes bowling in the nets ahead of the Visakhapatnam Test and there were speculations that Stokes would end his 8-month-old exile of not bowling in Tests. Stokes last bowled during the second Test match against Australia during the 2023 Ashes in July.

However, Ben Stokes has been decent as a batsman in the ongoing IND vs ENG Test series so far. Stokes top scored during the first innings of the first Test in Hyderabad and has been scoring runs with more of an attacking approach. Stokes has also been excellent with the captaincy so far and has almost made the right decisions in both matches so far.

England have played significantly better than the cricket experts predicted ahead of the series. The English team has played the Indian spinners pretty much better than they were thought just before the series.

Such an example is Ollie Pope who scored 196 runs in the second innings of the first Test and turned the game from there. England registered a remarkable win as they were in a losing situation but it was Tom Hartley who showcased a brilliant bowling performance in the second innings, which helped the visitors win the match.

Another major point to be noted in the series so far is the behavior of the pitch. While many cricket pundits had thought of more turning tracks in India ahead of the series, though, the playing surfaces have behaved more oppositely. The pitches in Hyderabad and Vizag had equal help for batsmen, spinners, and pacers, due to which both the games lasted for 4 days, which was more than the expected duration of a Test match in India.

The third Test will kickstart on February 15 and the Indian team would want to continue their winning momentum.