IND v ENG: Ben Stokes the bowler vows to save England’s sinking ship in last two Tests

England’s plan A has failed, putting them in a spot of bother against India in the ongoing five-match series. Following an embarrassing 434-run beating in the third Test in Rajkot, Captain Ben Stokes is contemplating risking bowling himself in the final two Tests to help England turn the tide.

A day after commenting on his side's chances of making a comeback in theseries, despite being down 1-2, Stokes said he felt 'great' bowling in the nets lately and only after consulting with the team doctors that he will take a call on resuming bowling in Tests.

Speaking with media outlet TNT after England’s heaviest defeat in Tests since 1934, Stokes said he felt he could have bowled in Rajkot, but that would have been stupid, considering he is yet to get a green signal from the medical staff. Stokes admitted that his recovery has happened more swiftly than he anticipated and doesn’t rule out him sharing the bowlers’ workload in the final two Tests.

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"I have managed to get my first bowl at 100 per cent in the warm-up. I'm not going to lie, I feel really great,” Stokes told TNT. "I felt like I could have bowled in this game, but that would have been stupid. I have a whole body to get used to bowling again.

"As a person, I like to jump the gun a little bit, but things are feeling really good. It's not a yes - but it's not a no either. I have progressed a lot faster than I thought I would.

"That will be a more detailed chat with the medical team about what workload I have done to pass me off as not being a massive risk,” Stokes added.

India crush England in Rajkot

Bazball suffered its heaviest and most embarrassing defeat in Rajkot, going down inside one session in the chase of 557 on day four. Although Ben Duckett was their star batter in the first innings, hitting a stunning hundred (153), the visitors got all out on 122 in their next outing, with their scorecard reading 50 for seven at one stage.

Unlike how the team is supposed to play wearing Bazball on their sleeves, Stokes deployed a cautious approach in both innings, scoring at a strike rate of under 50.

However, if England were to avoid suffering the same fate they did in 2021, they must think out of the box and deliver in the fourth and the fifth Test to script one of the greatest comebacks in this format.