After a stroke of luck led to Lord’s win, Ben Stokes wants to do this next...

Dubai: England captain Ben Stokes has never shied away from putting his body on the line — and at Lord’s, he did it again. The all-rounder toiled through 44 overs to claim five crucial wickets, leading his side to a thrilling 22-run victory over India on Monday and a 2-1 lead in the five-Test series.

It was a win built on fire and instinct. Stokes’ decision to pair himself with Jofra Archer in the final push proved decisive. With the ball still relatively new and India needing 135 runs on the final day, Stokes backed a hunch — one shaped by history.

“It’s six years to the day since the 2019 World Cup win,” Stokes said. “Jof played a massive role then. I had a feeling he’d do something special again.”

He wasn’t wrong. Archer delivered a scorching spell, uprooting Rishabh Pant’s off stump with a searing delivery and later removing Washington Sundar for a duck. Stokes, relentless from the other end, trapped KL Rahul LBW. India crumbled to 82/7, and the tone was set.

Speed gun lights up

It wasn’t an easy call. Brydon Carse had delivered a fiery burst the previous evening, removing Karun Nair and Shubman Gill. But Stokes stuck to his gut.

“Brydon was brilliant last night, but sometimes you just trust your instinct,” he said. “Jof’s return to Test cricket — you want to give him that moment. When the speed gun lights up and he’s in rhythm, the entire energy shifts.”

While Archer opened the gates, it was Stokes who kept hammering through. Across both innings, he shouldered the bulk of the workload, emerging as the heart of England’s bowling effort.

“I’ve been to some dark places physically, but bowling to win a Test match — that gets you going,” he said. “I’m not going to lie: I can’t wait to lie in bed for four days before Manchester.”

Bruising contest

Despite England’s dominance, India fought back. Ravindra Jadeja’s unbeaten 61 and a gutsy rearguard from Jasprit Bumrah pushed the hosts to the brink. But Shoaib Bashir, batting earlier with a broken hand, returned to dismiss Siraj and seal the win — a warrior’s finish to a bruising contest.

At Lord’s, six years after World Cup glory, England found another moment of magic. And at the centre of it again — Ben Stokes, bruised but brilliant.