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Ben Stokes set to risk injury with his latest decision ahead of 4th Test vs India in Ranchi

England skipper Ben Stokes set to risk injury as he gets ready to put his body on the line to bring his team back into the India vs England 2024 series.

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Ben Stokes (source-twitter)

England move to Ranchi for the fourth Test match needing a win to stay alive in the series. Team India has taken a 2-1 lead in the series with a massive 434-run win in Rajkot on Sunday. The BazBall technique of England seems to have failed and Ben Stokes is now under pressure. 

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According to reports the England skipper might bowl during the 4th Test match in Ranchi. It has been a while since Ben Stokes has rolled his arm over. Constant injuries have meant that Ben Stokes has lessened his bowling duties to manage his workload. 

England seamers James Anderson and Mark Wood failed to deliver with the ball during the 3rd Test. The Indian batters seemed at ease against the seam bowlers as they smashed them to each part of the ground. 

Ben Stokes to resume bowling for England?

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Sensing the need of the hour it seems like England skipper Ben Stokes might start to bowl again. The 32-year-old has picked 197 wickets with a best of 6/22 with four fifers in the longest format. The last time Ben Stokes was during the Ashes 2023 series where picked the wicket of Josh Hazlewood. 

Speaking to the media after the Rajkot Test, the England skipper said “I’m not saying yes. I’m not saying no. Me being me, I have always been very optimistic about most things. 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”

It was seen that Ben Stokes was bowling during the nets session and also before the start of play on several occasions. “I managed to bowl at 100% in one of the warm-up days here which made me feel pretty good. I felt I could have bowled in the game but that would have been stupid”

Meanwhile, it has come to light that veteran pacer James Anderson may be rested for one of the final two games. Brendon McCullum speaking to the media revealed “We’ve got a really good squad to pick from. We just need to work out what conditions we’re going to be confronted with”. It is likely that Anderson may be rested for the Ranchi game as the pitch is set to be another spin-friendly track. 

Ben Stokes