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‘Needs To Rethink' - Former Spinner Slams Ben Stokes' Bizarre Captaincy vs India

image-lrurtmu6Ben Stokes under-utilized Jack Leach in the first two sessions of Day 2 (BCCI)

England wasted away their early advantage over India on Day 2 of their series-opening Test match, courtesy of splendid half-centuries from hosts’ batters Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul. Within the opening hour of the day, English spinners Joe Root and Tom Hartley did manage to claim both overnight batters Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill.

However, visiting captain Ben Stokes ended up over-bowling Hartley after Gill’s departure even though the spinner kept leaking runs at more than five-an-over.

Former cricketer Pragyan Ojha pointed out Stokes’ blunder, and urged the English captain to either rethink or revamp his strategy against India if England needs to stand a chance at Hyderabad.

Pragyan Ojha urges Ben Stokes to rethink

Former Indian spinner Pragyan Ojha believes Ben Stokes missed a trick by under-utilizing Jack Leach and by over-bowling a struggling Tom Hartley during the first two sessions of Day 2. Hartley was also recalled to bowl the final over of the day, during which he conceded two boundaries and a six to Axar Patel as India rushed their way to 421-7.

In all, Hartley conceded 131 runs with just two wickets to his name from 25 overs, thus maintaining an expensive economy rate of 5.24. Ojha believes that the English captain needs to rethink his strategy going ahead against India, before the hosts can extend their lead even further at Hyderabad. While speaking with Cricbuzz, he said:

“I saw inconsistencies in Ben Stokes’ captaincy. You can give confidence to your struggling bowler by giving him another over, like Ben Stokes did with Tom Hartley because an entire day’s play was still remaining. But to over-bowl him, even when you have three other spinners like Jack Leach, Rehan Ahmed and Joe Root in the team. While the other three were performing well, Stokes still gave more overs to Hartley; who ended up conceding over 100 runs. The English captain really needs to rethink or revamp strategy.”

Earlier in the match, Indian spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin teamed up to dismantle the Englishmen for just 246, with Ben Stokes top scoring in the innings through his belligerent 70.

Team India, in response, easily overhauled the total and tallied a monumental lead by stumps on Day 2. Half-centurion Ravindra Jadeja will now resume the Indian innings on Day 3 alongside Axar Patel.