Ben Stokes @ 100 Not Out - England Cricket's 'Kohinoor'

Every Indian cricket fan will be rooting for Rohit Sharma and company ahead of the third Test against England in Rajkot, but the Saurashtra Cricket Association has an additional task in hand: celebrating a special milestone for a very special cricketer of his generation. England Test Captain Ben Stokes will feature in his 100th Test for the Three Lions in Rajkot—a symbol of longevity, consistency, and match-winning prowess as a quality all-rounder and now as a top-quality leader.

For Test cricket fans, Ben's 100th game is a reason to celebrate, as he becomes only the 76th cricketer to achieve the feat, more so than the 16th Englishman to join the century club. With the series tied at 1-1, Ben Stokes is all focused on the job at hand rather than celebrating a personal milestone, which, according to him, is just a mere number.

"It's just a number. I don't want it to sound like I'm not thankful for the opportunities I've had, but with milestones, it's not done until it's done. Every Test is just as important as the next one. Then there's the next one, which will be 101 - it's just one more. It's a sign of longevity, but 99, 100 or 101 doesn't make much difference," Ben Stokes said ahead of the Rajkot Test.

With over six thousand runs and three wickets short of 200 scalps in Test cricket, Ben Stokes has already etched his name in history books as one of the finest all-rounders of his generation. When Stokes is around, there is always a sense of something extraordinary in store, maybe a brilliant hundred, a breakthrough with the ball, or even an unbelievable effort on the field.

When the majority of cricketers settle for one special moment in their careers, Ben Stokes has had plenty already. His white-ball heroics are well documented, but what Stokes will be remembered for is his passion for Test cricket. Before he turned into a leader, Stokes already had a resume filled with unbelievable innings and spells under his belt.

His knock of an unbeaten 135 against Australia in Headingley in 2019 still rings alarms in the minds and hearts of the Kangaroos. The knock not only kept England alive in the series but also allowed them to draw the series as well. Four years later, Stokes once again nearly completed a heist, this time at Lord's with an astonishing 155.

Stokes has a habit of producing these gems time and time again. In his debut series, also against Australia Down Under, when everything was falling apart for the visitors, the southpaw slammed a hundred in Perth, and with it, he announced his arrival. Three years later, Stokes punished South African bowlers as he slammed 258 runs, the highest individual score batting at number six in Test cricket to date. Over the last decade or so, Test cricket has witnessed Stokes' brilliance both with the bat and ball and also in the field.

The one memory that will always stay fresh in my heart and mind is the run-out of star Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja in the first Test in Hyderabad. There was no way Stokes would have gotten a Jadeja run-out had he not thrown the ball while he was not even in control of the throw. One may call it lucky, but it was the intent of winning the Test match that superseded any emotion in Stokes' brain that eventually resulted in Jadeja's run-out, and England went on to win the game by 28 runs.

Captain Stokes: England Cricket's Bravest Leader

In the last 30 years of watching England play Test cricket, they have had some fine captains, but Ben Stokes has to be the bravest of them all. This emotion isn't an outcome of his outstanding record as a leader, which reads 14 wins out of 21 Tests as captain, with a win percentage of over 66.

This is an outcome of the approach, the mindset, and the belief Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum have managed to instill in every player who has played for the Three Lions in the last 18 months or so.

Just paint this picture: since Stokes took over, England has beaten India in the Hyderabad Test, arguably their best away win in decades. England in 2022 also chased down 378 runs in the fourth inning of a Test match in Birmingham without breaking much sweat. Stokes' leadership is also responsible for England registering a whitewash over New Zealand at home and beating Pakistan in away series. These are some serious numbers, and players are already in awe of their fantastic captain.

“What he’s done since he’s been captain has been amazing. He’s changed the game in a lot of respects,” Ollie Pope had said

Numbers will be there for statisticians to take a look at and for the fans to follow, but what Ben Stokes, as a leader, is doing is trying his level best to make Test cricket exciting again. Indian spinner Kuldeep Yadav admitted that Bazball is forcing the team management to think and remember that India is playing in their backyard. England is playing a brand of cricket that is indeed a high-risk one, but the rewards too are lucrative.

The players are enjoying his regime, and since taking over the England Test captaincy, Ben Stokes' perspective as a cricketer has also changed, directed towards his team's growth and not too worried about his brilliance.

“I think since becoming captain, one of the main things I enjoy is that every day I wake up and have a great opportunity to progress people’s careers. I’d like to think I’m perceived as a pretty selfless person when it comes to cricket, taking away any personal or individual gains out of what I do.” Stokes had said

It's not that since taking over captaincy, Stokes, the batter, hasn't performed. He has made exceptional individual contributions and still remains a threat to the opposing bowlers. You may look at Stokes' numbers and say, What's so special about them? Well, what's special is his willingness to perform when the chips are down; that is where he wants to be counted as a leader and as a performer. England cricket needs to be grateful.

A career that could have gone haywire

An astonishing career that is currently shining as a bright star on the cricket pitch could have gone haywire, especially at the start. Much before he made his England Test debut, Stokes was arrested for obstructing police on a pre-Christmas night out.

Two years later, the southpaw was sent home from an England Lions tour for drinking. Things got worse in 2016 when Stokes was caught speeding four times. The worst came in 2017 when he was arrested again following a fight outside a Bristol nightclub with teammate Alex Hales.

Just when things were getting better, Stokes stunned one and all when, in 2021, he took a six-month break from the sport, citing his mental health after the demise of his father in 2019. That was probably the turning point in Stokes' career, and once he resumed the captaincy role, he never looked back.

The cricket fraternity might still have their reservations about Bazball, but what they cannot question is Ben Stokes' intent to make things moving in Test cricket, and that for me is his biggest contribution, irrespective of the number of runs he scores and wickets he takes moving on.

On February 15, 2024, when Ben Stokes leads England out against India in Rajkot, every cricket fan in India and around the world should applaud the genius, the marvel, and the phenomenon that he is. The occasion is pretty big, and given Stokes' appetite for big occasions, don't be surprised if there is a gem of a performance hidden in the store.

Congratulations Ben! A very well-deserved milestone, mate.

Also Read: Rohit Sharma: A captain by 'choice' or one due to lack of choices