'Freak' Stokes gets Rohit with very first ball since knee surgery / Photo: Sajjad HUSSAIN - AFP
'Freak' Stokes gets Rohit with very first ball since knee surgery
England captain Ben Stokes on Friday cleaned up his Indian counterpart Rohit Sharma with the very first ball he has bowled since having knee surgery late last year.
The 32-year-old all-rounder rattled Rohit's stumps with a delivery that seamed off the pitch, the Indian captain falling for 103 on day two of the fifth Test in Dharamsala.
"He's a freak," England's assistant coach Jeetan Patel said of the star all-rounder. "It was almost written in the stars that he was going to bowl a jaffa first up and get Rohit Sharma out who was on 100."
Former New Zealand spinner Patel added: "We all know how we can round our attack out, especially in conditions like these where you've usually got two spinners, two seamers and then you want your third in Stokesy."
Stokes, who is two away from 200 Test wickets, bowled five overs for 17 runs including a maiden before retreating to field for the rest of the day.
"It was nice to see him back at the crease but we've just got to be careful we don't push him too far, it's still early days for him," said Patel.
"I'm sure he'll rest up tonight, get some ice on it and see where it fronts tomorrow."
Stokes, who said he would play purely as a batsman in the five-match series because of his knee, had hinted at a return to bowling ahead of the fourth Test.
The right-arm seamer took the ball after lunch and got the wicket right away, with TV commentator Sanjay Manjrekar marvelling at "a magic ball".
TV footage showed coach Brendon McCullum with his hands on his face while watching Stokes in action on his screen, and the rest of the English players were seemingly awestruck.
"A little bit of amazement, a little bit written in the stars, a lot of people laughing," Patel said of the reaction in the dressing room.
"It's quite funny because he came on to bowl when the English crowds are waking up (back home) -- they're flicking on the TV and the first thing they see is Ben Stokes bowling a really good delivery to Rohit Sharma."
Patel welcomed Stokes's return to bowling, but cautioned that the process needed to be managed carefully.
Stokes has struggled with his left knee for some time, with the injury preventing him from bowling in the last three Ashes Tests in 2023 and the ODI World Cup later that year.
He underwent knee surgery in November and has been working his way back towards full fitness.
Stokes, a left-handed batsman, has scored 197 runs in the series, which the tourists have already lost after India took an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the previous match.
Ch.McDonald--EWJ
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