
IND vs ENG: 'Don't overcook it too much' - Former England pacer warns Ben Stokes despite 3rd Test heroics
India need to win the penultimate Test of the five-match series against England in order to stay alive in the contest. A win for the hosts will put the series victory out of reach for the Shubman Gill-led side.
As such, the fourth Test, set to commence on Wednesday, July 23, holds crucial significance.
In the third Test at Lord's, England have their skipper
Ben Stokes
to thank for his relentless pursuit of victory, helping his side gain the upper hand. Reflecting on Stokes' stunning all-round performance, former England pacer Steven Finn praised his daring approach.
"If you dangle that carrot of competitiveness in front of him, he's going to chomp on it all day long.
And he sensed the need for someone to grab the game by the scruff of the neck, both on the fourth evening and the fifth morning. And he did it and he ran with it," said Finn, speaking on BBC 5 Live Sport.
However, he also admitted concerns over Stokes overexerting himself, a feeling previously echoed by Joe Root. "Every time he bowls a long spell like that, you're watching with bated breath being like, 'Don't let this be the spell where he just overcooked it that little bit too much,'" said the Englishman.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
This Could Be the Best Time to Trade Gold in 5 Years
IC Markets
Learn More
Undo
Harry Brook press conference: On why India are scared, on field fights at Lord's and more
While India did see a marathon stand from Ravindra Jadeja, the all-rounder could only watch as his batting partners fell to the relentless English attack as his side was eventually bowled out.
Outlining what sets Stokes apart, Finn said, "He's a magnificent cricketer, obviously. But it's that competitiveness and that desperation to win games and be the person who changes the course of games that make him extra special."
Poll
Who do you think will win the fourth Test between India and England?
India
England
Draw
England have announced their playing XI for the fourth Test, with just one change: injured spinner Shoaib Bashir has been replaced by 35-year-old Liam Dawson.
England playing XI for fourth Test vs India
: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Liam Dawson, Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer.
Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Indian Express
6 minutes ago
- Indian Express
India draw after last-day fightback, coach Gambhir says ‘these players will make their own history'
The day was ending, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar were in their 80s and there was no doubt about the result of the Test. India had miraculously managed to snatch a draw from the jaws of defeat on the final day of the fourth Test. The knackered England captain Ben Stokes had enough, he wanted to shake hands and nurse his wounds in the dressing room. But the day's heroes — Jadeja and Washington — were in no hurry to leave. They wanted to rub a few English noses in the mud and get well-deserved Test hundreds. They also wanted the crowd, and their teammates, to celebrate the draw that was as precious as a win. They finally shook hands with the scoreboard showing India 425 for four, Jadeja (107 not out) and Washington (101 not out). The world had written them off, now Jadeja and Sundar had done a monumental rewrite, they had penned history. Only twice have India batted out more overs in the third innings to save a Test after conceding a first innings lead of 300-plus. Trailing by 311 runs at lunch on Day 4, India were staring at an innings defeat. But against all odds, Shubman Gill's young team batted for 143 overs and lost just four wickets. This was a comeback for ages. The series that seemed dead — the loss for India here would have seen England take a 3-1 lead — has been magically kept alive. With momentum on their side, India can now dream of winning the final Test at Oval and level the series 2-2. Nothing can be put beyond a team where a batsman with a fractured foot — Rishabh Pant — raises his hand to take the field and do his bit. Indian coach Gautam Gambhir, after the match, spoke about the importance of the draw for the rest of the series. 'It will give us an edge. When you are put under pressure and you come out of those pressure moments, it is always a great feeling. It just ends up giving a lot of confidence to the dressing room,' he said. Unlike many teams of the past, with bigger stars, this Indian team just refuses to give up. India was zero for two at the start of the innings but this was followed by 188-run partnership between K L Rahul (90) and Shubman (103). Today again at lunch, a crisis loomed. The two big hopes Shubman and Rahul, after their marathon partnership, were back in the hut. India was 223 for four. There was another mountain to climb in front of them. With Pant to bat on one foot, they had to bat two full sessions. That's when two rather low-key cricketers — all-rounders who aren't in news too often — picked up the baton; it was more like taking up the gauntlet. But Jadeja and Sundar didn't allow the pressure of the scoreboard or their constantly bullying rivals get to them. Stokes tried every trick he knew. He would test them with a disciplined line, he would surround them with fielders with the spinner on a pitch with patches and even try to intimidate with short-balls. Nothing worked on this Sunday. There is a certain nonchalance about the way Jadeja and Washington conduct themselves on the pitch. They look relaxed, they keep smiling and are almost aloof to the surroundings and the situation. They don't even confront the opposition. They actually chat them up. They don't rile their opponent, they don't trigger fights. Jadeja and Washington, with their solid play, dilute the opposition's aggression. Jadeja, despite his numbers, isn't quite counted among the game's greats but today he joined the list of legends. Washington's place in the playing XI has been repeatedly questioned but today he shut the mouths of his doubters for good. As Jadeja added a hundred to his four 50s on this tour he was on par with the greatest all-rounder Gary Sobers for runs scored in England. Washington, the spinner, had done his bit at Lord's with four wickets in an innings. At Old Trafford, he showed what he can do with the bat. He justified the team management's trust in him. His numbers with both bat and ball showed, he can do the job of two specialists. This could well go down in the history of the Indian team as a very important draw. Had India lost this Test, and also the next, the course of Indian cricket might have changed dramatically. There were reputations at stake. After Shubman's outburst against Zak Crawley at Lord's when he was wasting time, the English media was floating the narrative the young skipper had been impacted by the episode and lost touch. When India was on field and their bowlers were leaking runs, the pundits said the Indian captain was too passive. It was certainly his worst day as a captain but he showed the resilience to bounce back. He made amends, he led India's recovery. The team's senior-most batsman Rahul also often gets blamed for not scoring in important situations. At Old Trafford, he changed that impression. Coach Gambhir would have lost his third straight series, and there would have been calls of his outster. But after Old Trafford, that might not be. This team is showing a new culture and character. But what might have pleased the team management most must have been India regrouping after the fall of Rahul and Shubman. Most of India's famous wins or draws have been about individual brilliance but this team takes cricket as a team sport. The last time India saved a game after conceding a big lead was in New Zealand at Napier where Gambhir had scored a match-saving 137 off 437 balls while batting for nearly 11 hours. He was asked if he had spoken about Napier in the dressing room. Gambhir almost didn't allow the question to be completed. He said: 'I don't remember any of my knocks, it's history. These players will make their own history. Honestly, no one needs to follow anyone or even wants to. They will make their own history. The way we have been written off in this Test match, this is the foundation of this team.' Before the tour had started, this was said to be a team in transition but a win of this nature makes it feel that the transition is over.
&w=3840&q=100)

First Post
8 minutes ago
- First Post
'I was not going to risk any..': Ben Stokes reveals reasoning behind early handshake offer to Jadeja and Sundar
England captain Ben Stokes explained why he offered an early draw to Team India in the final session of the Manchester Test, which ended in a draw. read more England captain Ben Stokes offered an early draw to Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar but the batsmen did accept his request. (Screengrab from Sony Liv) A Test match between India and England where drama doesn't unfold is unimaginable. While the Manchester Test did not contribute much to the drama quotient as compared to its predecessors in the series, a controversial episode still sparked right at the end on Day 5. With 15 overs left in the game, England captain Ben Stokes gave up on a potential victory and offered an early handshake to Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, who were both batting in their 80s at that time. Considering they were close to getting to the triple figure mark, the batters did not comply with Stokes' request and kept playing. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD However, Jadeja and Sundar did England and Stokes a favour by quickly attaining the remaining runs. As a result, Sundar taking a single off Harry Brook to complete his maiden Test ton was the final action of the day. Stokes' eagerness to end the match when the Indian batters were close to achieving their milestone did not sit well with Indian cricket fans, and hence, many did not refrain from criticising the England skipper on social media. The entire drama of Ben Stokes himself asking for a draw out of frustration. All that crying when he himself could have declared early yesterday than he did.#ENGvsIND — Prateek (@prateek_295) July 27, 2025 Ben Stokes comes out clean about the handshake incident Following the culmination of the match, Ben Stokes addressed the episode and stated that he did not want to risk an injury to his bowlers as a draw was inevitable at that moment. 'As soon as they got to a point where the draw was inevitable - I was not going to risk any of our bowlers, Just wanted to get through the period without risking proper bowling options.' Gill on Stokes offering a draw in the final session India captain Shubman Gill also made his thoughts known on the handshake incident. According to Gill, Jadeja and Sundar batted brilliantly in the final two sessions of the match and hence deserved a century. 'We thought they (Jadeja and Sundar) batted brilliantly, they were in their 90s, we thought they deserved a century there (about the decision to not shake hands). STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD


India Today
20 minutes ago
- India Today
Gambhir slams Shubman Gill's critics: Those who doubt him don't understand cricket
India head coach Gautam Gambhir has issued a strong defence of Shubman Gill, criticising those who have questioned the young captain's tactical decisions and temperament during the ongoing Test series in England. Gill, under pressure after a rocky start in the fourth Test at Old Trafford, responded in style with a composed century that helped India salvage a morale-boosting draw and keep the five-match Test series the post-match press conference, Gambhir made it clear that any doubts over Gill's calibre were misplaced. "First of all, there should be no doubt over Shubman Gill's talent," Gambhir said. "Anyone who doubts it only knows how to talk about cricket, not understand it. Some players take time to settle in international cricket. No one in this dressing room is surprised by what Shubman has done. And honestly, even if he hadn't performed, we would still back his talent. Those who truly understand the game have always recognised the ability he possesses - and now, he's living up to it."ENG vs IND, 4th Test Day 5: Highlights "As for this supposed burden of captaincy - I don't think you see any of that when he walks out to bat. He goes in as a batter, not as a captain," Gambhir who struck his fourth century of the series, became the first Asian batter to score over 700 runs in a single Test series in England. However, his leadership came under scrutiny after England amassed a first-innings lead of 311, with several former players and pundits questioning key tactical choices. Among the decisions criticised was the move to open the bowling with debutant Anshul Kamboj, and the puzzling delay in introducing Washington Sundar despite the English top order scoring a daunting deficit and early second-innings wickets, India appeared headed for defeat. But a spirited resistance turned the tide. KL Rahul's gritty 90 set the tone, before Gill's assured 103 anchored a 188-run third-wicket stand. Ravindra Jadeja (107 not out) and Washington Sundar (101 not out) then batted through the final session, guiding India to safety on the fifth Day 5 on 174 for 2 and still trailing by 137 runs, Gill reached three figures with composure before falling to Jofra Archer just before lunch. From there, Jadeja and Sundar held firm to secure a draw that will be remembered for its character as much as its lead the five-match series 2-1, with the final Test at The Oval set to determine the winner of the inaugural Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.- EndsTune InYou May Also Like