‘Gave it everything’: Stokes wins Player of the Match for all-round brilliance, lauds India’s grit in drawn Manchester Test

MANCHESTER:Ben Stokes once again showed why he is regarded as one of the finest all-rounders in world cricket, producing a spectacular performance in the fourth Test at Old Trafford, Manchester. Despite England not being able to force a result, Stokes was named Player of the Match for the second Test in a row, a reflection of the impact he continues to have on this Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

The England captain took 5/72, helping England bowl India out for 358, followed with 141 in the first innings. He now sits at the top of the wicket-takers chart in the series with 17 scalps but despite his heroics, India, riding on the unbreakable partnership between Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, held firm to secure a hard-earned draw on the final day.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Stokes said, “I think when you have a good game as an allrounder, you assess by how that goes by the result at the end of the game. Will give it all back if we would’ve got the result.”

Stokes also praised the spirit and commitment shown by his side, “Asked the guys up there to run through a brick wall for the team and I’ll do the same. Bowling, being on the field, it is tough work.. Pretty sore (his body). Obviously have got through a fair amount of overs. Everything starts creeping up to you.”

He said that the pitch eased out on the final day but had special words of praise for India’s lower middle-order resilience, “As the game progressed, the wicket sort of became easier to bat on. There was variable bounce for the right-handers, but not much for the left-handers. Heapload of credit to the way Washington and Jadeja played there.”

The England skipper also acknowledged key moments in the game, like Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley’s opening partnership, which set the tone in the first innings, and the overall quality of the contest.

“Duckett-Crawley partnership was crucial in the first innings to set the platform,” he noted.

“Has been a back-and-forth series so far. Real high quality. It’s one of those moments where you feel this is where the game will be broken open. But the quality India have, they were going to be hard to dislodge and they proved that,” he added.

Stokes admitted England had exhausted all options in trying to win the game, “We threw everything at them, and they were able to live up to the pressure of the final day. All the hard work was done by India.”

In a tactical move, Stokes chose not to overwork his pacers in the final session, keeping in mind the bigger picture, “Didn’t want to risk my fast bowlers with any injuries towards the end. Dawson (Liam) bowled a lot of overs too. Even before this Test, there were conversations around how much effort and energy had gone into the bowling department. Bowlers will be assessed over the next couple of days.”

Despite England missing out on a win, they still lead the five-match series 2-1 heading into the final Test at The Oval, starting Thursday. India will look to bounce back and square the series. (ANI)