'What a player he is. He bowls, bats and executes a crucial run out of Rishabh Pant but there is no talk of workload management. But with India it is not like that.'
With Lord's Test on the line, England's injury-prone captain Ben Stokes threw workload management out of the window to bowl two marathon spells on day five, raising the benchmark not just for his own men but also for the Indian fast bowlers going into the final two games.
The 34-year-old all-rounder has had to deal with injuries throughout his career and most recently underwent a surgery following a hamstring tear in January.
The possibility of a breakdown was real but he pushed his body to the limit in the third Test, completing two rather long spells of 9.2 and 10 overs on Monday to maintain pressure on India while Jofra Archer delivered body blows in the first 40 minutes of play from the other end.
Reminders were given from the dressing room to look after his ageing body but Stokes would have none of it. 44 overs in the match, especially the high workload on day five, may impact Stokes' body but having quit alcohol to raise his fitness levels, the England leader expects to be fresh again for the Manchester Test beginning in eight days' time.
His commitment to winning a Test match has also raised a few valid questions relating to the Indian camp.
Jasprit Bumrah, an injury prone cricketer like Stokes, would be playing only three out of the five Tests.
It was planned well in advance ahead of the tour and the champion fast bowler missed the second Test in Birmingham as part of workload management despite India losing the series-opener at Leeds.
His absence did not have an adverse impact before he returned for the Lord's Test and made his presence felt with a five wicket haul in the first innings. With India trailing again following the heartbreak, Bumrah is expected to turn up one final time in the series at Old Trafford.
Former pacer Irfan Pathan, who knows a thing or two about dealing with injuries, cited Stokes as an example while stating that the term "workload management" is overrated at times.
"Ben Stokes bowled a marathon 9.2 over spell in the morning on day five. What a player he is. He bowls, bats and executes a crucial run out of Rishabh Pant but there is no talk of workload management. But with India it is not like that.
"Bumrah bowls five overs and waits for Joe Root to come out to bat when you need to control the game (in the second innings). It was disappointing.
"His workload was managed having not played at Edgbaston. When you play a match, there is no workload. You have to win at all costs. The Indian camp could have done that better," said Pathan on his Youtube channel.
Pathan also had admiration for Archer, who was making his first Test appearance since 2021.
"Archer was playing a Test match after four years but he did not stop. He bowled a six-over spell in the morning before returning to bowl again. Ben Stokes did not think about workload at all, if he can bowl nine overs, hum toh peeche rah gaye (Indian pacers were left behind)," he said.
To be fair to Bumrah, he bowled 27 overs in the first innings before running in for 16 overs in the second essay.
"I would say I have a settled 12. Then you see according to the situation and the wicket, the 11 you would want to go for," said Indian captain Shubman Gill when asked about the team composition for Manchester keeping the workload of pacers in mind.
Stokes's exhaustion after that epic effort was palpable as he did not have the energy left to celebrate a famous win at the fabled ground.
In his own words, he had to keep going to give his team the best chance of winning the game.
"You bowl 45 overs in a Test match and win...probably the best comparison I could do...I'm pretty cooked. It was a big day today, the game was on the line.
"Bowling to win a Test match for your country on day five...however you wake up in the morning, if that doesn't get you going or up for going out there and putting in for your team, I don't know what will," said Stokes.
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