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Ashwin attacked on social media for criticising England captain Ben Stokes; India great responds in style
Ravichandran Ashwin addressed criticism on social media after questioning Ben Stokes' batting approach, after the England captain hit 141 in Manchester.
Former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin did not stay silent after being attacked on social media for criticising England captain Ben Stokes. After the first two Tests, Ashwin had asked questions of Stokes' batting approach in the series, as the England captain had a torrid time handling the Indian bowlers.
"Ben Stokes is a fabulous player. I take my hat off to him. But we need to remember one thing. Barring that Headingley heroics in the Ashes, what has he achieved as a batter?" Ashwin said on his Hindi YouTube channel 'Ash Ki Baat.' "The readiness to play a Test match in the way a Test match needs to be played—that is the problem from the leadership standpoint. You are telling every batter to go and play an attacking brand of cricket, so you need to play like that only," he said.
Stokes displayed a lionhearted performance, especially with the ball in the third Test at Lord's to return as the Player of the Match. In the fourth test in Manchester, he went a few steps further to prove why he is one of the best all-rounders in the world at the moment. After picking up five wickets with the ball, Stokes hit 141 to help England take a massive 311-run lead.
As soon as Stokes hit his 14th Test century, social media was flooded with criticism for Ashwin, who had pointed fingers at the left-handed batter. But Ashwin was not the one to digest everything silently. A great all-rounder himself, Ashwin clarified that he never doubted Stokes' quality but was only highlighting the need for him to approach Test cricket like it should be.
"Arrey sir ji, no one doubted his class! He got his first fifer after 2017 this game a hundred after 2 years! This has come because of his traditional test match approach to batting and not the carefree one he had adopted before this." Ashwin wrote in reply to a fan's criticism.
A Ben Stokes masterclass in Manchester
Resuming on 77* after briefly retiring hurt with cramp on Friday, Stokes looked in sublime touch from the outset. He elegantly cover-drove Mohammed Siraj twice to move into the 80s, and showed grit and patience against a spirited Indian bowling attack. After nervously lingering on 99, he finally brought up his 14th Test hundred — his first in over two years — with a leg-glanced four off Jasprit Bumrah, his ninth boundary in a 164-ball knock.
Stokes celebrated emotionally, raising his bat to the cheering crowd, clenching his fist, looking skyward, and making a crooked finger gesture in tribute to his late father, Ged Stokes.
His century followed a five-wicket haul (5-72) in India’s first innings, making him just the fourth England player to score a century and take five wickets in the same Test — joining legends Tony Greig, Ian Botham (who did it five times), and Gus Atkinson.
Stokes later became only the third cricketer in Test history to achieve the double of 7,000 runs and 200 wickets, following in the footsteps of Jacques Kallis and Sir Garfield Sobers — further cementing his place among the game’s elite all-rounders.
With the pressure off, Stokes unleashed his attacking flair — launching Washington Sundar for a straight six, reverse-sweeping the next ball for four, and hammering Ravindra Jadeja into the stands before falling while attempting a repeat stroke. He departed for 141 with England 658-9, exactly 300 runs ahead.
England were eventually bowled out for 669, their highest-ever total at Old Trafford, with Jadeja finishing with 4-143. Brydon Carse added a handy 47 before falling as the last man.
