IND vs ENG 5th Test: Ben Stokes bowls after 8 months, picks Rohit Sharma’s wicket in 1st ball
In a latest update in the India vs England 5th Test, England pacer Ben Stokes has returned to the field. If that was not all, Ben Stokes clean bowled team India captain Rohit Sharma right after lunch on Day 2.
Notably, this marks Ben Stokes return to the sport for the first time after his knee surgery. Until today, he had been playing as a specialist batter in the series. It is noteworthy mentioning that Stokes was not expected to bowl in the ongoing series against India, owing to his surgery. The surgery took place right after the 2023 ODI World Cup.
In the first four India vs England Test matches, the England captain managed to get fit enough to play as a specialist batter against the Men in Blue.
In the first half of the 5th India vs England Test at Dharamsala, Rohit Sharma in Shubman Gill put India in command as the hosts reached 264/1. The duo was in no mood to let England into the game and both batters got their hundreds three balls apart. Rohit was the first to reach the three-figure mark. He notched his second hundred of the series and 12th overall with a clip-through midwicket off Tom Hartley.
Meanwhile, Gill too played the aggressor early on, while Rohit looked solid at one end. England tried the short ball ploy but it didn’t work as the two players didn’t let the pressure build.
After lunch, the England captain brought himself back into action. As soon as he stepped into the field, Ben Stokes managed to bowl an outswinger to Rohit Sharma, which crashed straight into the stump.
India playing XI for 5th Test vs England
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Ravindra Jadeja, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah
England playing XI for 5th Test vs India
Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes, Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir, Mark Wood, James Anderson
Ms Kalinga