England vs India Michael Vaughan slams Ben Stokes for bowling first in 1st Test

Former England captain and commentator Michael Vaughan has slammed the England skipper Ben Stokes for his decision to bowl first against India in the first Test at Headingley, Leeds, where India is currently in a dominating position after the end of Day 1.

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Vaughan feels that despite having hot temperatures, Stokes decided to bowl first instead of going ahead with their strength of batting first. Interestingly, Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and captain Shubman Gill went on to smash centuries on Day 1.

"I am an old-school traditionalist. Here at Leeds, when the sun is shining, with dry weather, you bat,” Vaughan told the Test Match Special.

It’s important to note that in nine previous home Tests when England won the toss, they decided to bat only once. England went on to win six games. Moreover, England has a habit of fielding first whenever they win the toss since Stokes emerged as captain in 2022.

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To make things more interesting, in the recent six Tests played at this venue, all games were won by the team that fielded first. Vaughan, who had a decent captaincy record for England, felt Stokes should have made decisions based on the conditions.

"You always have to pick your decisions on that moment, and not things that you did here years ago or at other times. It can't affect what the decision is today," he said.

"You look at the England side and their strength is in the batting. And there is inexperience in bowling at the moment. Ben clearly had a gut feeling, and sometimes it has worked,” he added.

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Furthermore, England fast bowling consultant Tim Southee explained the actual reason why England decided to field first.

"With the colour of the wicket yesterday, and a little bit of moisture left in it if there was a little bit of help in it, it was probably going to be this morning. That was the thinking behind the decision,” Southee said after Day 1’s play.

"You look at the surface and make the decision on what you think will give you the best chance. Not all the time do you get it right,” he concluded.

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