Ben Stokes was highly talked about ever since he made his international debut. He was one of the world’s premier all-rounders across formats. He played a starring role in England’s maiden ODI World Cup win in 2019. Stokes took a break last year citing mental fatigue. He did return to England set up ahead of the Ashes. Stokes was appointed the England Test captain this summer. The Test captaincy is cited as one of the reasons why Stokes gave up on ODIs. There are few Indian players who could go ben stokes’ way.
We look at 5 such Indian players Who Could Go Ben Stokes’ Way:
#5 Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Arguably the finest swing bowler India has ever produced, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is a rare talent. He played a big part in India’s Champions Trophy win in 2013. Kumar is the only bowler in IPL history to win the purple cap in two consecutive years. But injury has hurt Kumar badly.
A half-fit Kumar was taken to the cleaners in the T20 World Cup 2021. But in the recent few series he has shown how a fit and firing Kumar can help India win games. It might be a possibility that Kumar might give up on Tests and ODIs to focus primarily on T20Is.
#4 Ravichandran Ashwin
He will surely go down as one of the finest players the country has ever produced. Ravichandran Ashwin has spent more than 12 years playing International cricket. He was one of those cricketers who graduated from playing T20. A bonafide IPL great, Ashwin has been India’s biggest match-winner in Tests especially at home over the last decade.
He is close to picking 450 Test wickets. Ashwin though has been in and out of the limited-overs side for quite some time. It is expected that he will quit the ODI format to focus primarily on Tests. He may just play the T20Is for the sake of IPL.
#3 Mohammad Shami
He is a seriously underrated bowler in the ODI format. No other Indian bowler has reached the 150 wickets mark in ODIs as quickly as Mohammad Shami. People rate Shami highly as a Test bowler with an impeccable seam position. But have not credited the ODI bowler in him.
He too has fought fitness issues to stake a permanent claim in Tests and ODIs. But Shami isn’t a natural T20 bowler. He did improve vastly in the recently concluded IPL season. But an Indian berth looks unlikely. There are likely chances of him quitting the T20I format to focus on Tests and ODIs.
#2 Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan was India’s first-choice opener across formats until the 2019 ODI World Cup. The scenario though now looks entirely different. Dhawan is nowhere near contention in the red-ball format. He has a permanent spot only in the ODI setup. It has been a while since Dhawan has featured in any of India’s playing XI in the T20Is. There is a high probability that Dhawan might give up on the red-ball format and the T20Is to prolong his ODI career.
#1 Jasprit Bumrah
It might come as a shocker for many but Jasprit Bumrah might actually contemplate giving up one of the formats. He is undoubtedly the best bowler across all formats. Bumrah is a match-winner who is unfazed by the opponents, conditions, and pitch. He is quite certain to finish as one of the best fast bowlers of all time. But for Bumrah to sustain he might have to give up on one of the formats. At this stage, it looks likely that Bumrah might give up on ODIs post-2023 ODI World Cup.
