Oh, Ben Stokes. England’s great hero, New Zealand’s 2019 horror from the past, and now, it seems, a victim of Indian shade and tender toes. The theater at Old Trafford on the final day of the Manchester Test was Shakespearean in its scope — high theatre, emotional tantrums, shattered hopes, and, of course, a hero who feels he has been unjustly treated. Again.
The Drama at Old Trafford
Day 5 of the Manchester Test saw Stokes lose not only his patience, but perhaps the plot as well. India, who were chasing an intimidating total, dug in deep. The batsmen were batting for pride, landmarks, and perhaps just to annoy an already irritated English captain. With every forward defense and every time-wasting shoe-tie, you could see Stokes seething harder than a kettle on a Yorkshire morning.
So when the unavoidable draw seemed nearer than an England victory, Stokes opted for going full Mahatma Gandhi — extending handshakes in a sportsmanlike gesture. A bighearted act, if only it hadn’t followed a lengthy period of intense sledging and some dubious strategies.
Indian batters weren’t having any of it. Not the handshakes, not the passive-aggressive glances, and certainly not the faux-humility of a man who had, mere hours before, laid into a limping Rishabh Pant with merciless yorkers. If this was peace, it came with a side of sarcasm and side-eye.
The Swollen Toe Saga
Let’s discuss that injured foot. Rishabh Pant, fighting an injury, was obviously not able to run or defend effectively. But cricket’s a tough game, and sympathy’s a remote cousin of success. Stokes, well aware where Pant’s agony was, decided to put it to the test with incandescent deliveries targeted directly at his toes.
It was within the rules, to be sure. Clever tactics? Maybe. Sportsmanlike? That’s where things get arguable. Because after you’ve sent several toe-crushers in the direction of a hurt player, it’s a bit rich to offer a handshake and wait for a posy back.
In Indian circles, this act didn’t go unnoticed. The same fans who still boil over the 2019 World Cup final’s boundary count rule (yes, that robbery) were quick to call out the hypocrisy. “You go for the man’s foot, and then expect a hug? Nah, bro,” was the collective mood across cricket WhatsApp groups, Twitter threads, and chai stalls.
The Handshake That Never Was
Stokes’s effort at “walking the walk” went awry like a poorly bowled reverse swing. Standing at the crease with a half-hearted smile and open palm, he appeared more dazed than persuasive. The Indians, very graciously, looked the other way.
This was not merely a handshake snub — it was a message. A reminder that gestures of peace cannot be so conveniently planned upon a full five days of war. If you sledge, bowl toe-crushers, stare, curse, and complain, don’t look for a namaste when you need to call truce.
It’s like attending a wedding uninvited and then playing hurt when no cake is offered to you.
The Stokes-Pant Cold War
This is not the first time Rishabh Pant and Ben Stokes had a bit of sparring. The 2021 India-England series was full of verbals and confrontational glare-offs. Pant, the perpetual cheeky street cricketer in a Test whites’ avatar, never backs off. Stokes, the English bulldog who pride himself on passion, doesn’t either.
So when Pant was limping around and Stokes continued to aim at his hurt foot, it seemed like a personal vendetta had reared its ugly head. And while everyone enjoys a good fight, they’re also looking for intent — and most didn’t enjoy what they witnessed.
2019 World Cup: The Ghost That Haunts
To really comprehend Indian cricket fans’ frustration with Stokes, you must go back to that ill-fated evening in July 2019 — the World Cup Final at Lord’s. The game was tied. The Super Over was tied. And England were crowned champions… due to a strange boundary count law.
And who was caught in the middle of it all? Ben Stokes, whose unwitting deflection off a dive provided four bonus runs to England in the pursuit. Legal? Of course. Just? Open to debate. Forgotten? Absolutely not — at least by Indians or Kiwis.
So when Stokes attempts to don the halo of a sportsman, many find it a little ironic. A pirate reading bedtime stories. The picture does not match the past.
The Double Standard Debate
There is one thing to be competitive. But sportsmanship, like reputation, requires consistency. You can’t go for blood in one hour and then hope for garlands the next. Stokes’s conduct at Old Trafford only served to highlight the thin line between passion and petulance.
Was he angry? Undoubtedly. But rather than have respect for the slog of two batsmen rescuing a Test match, he demanded obedience. Rather than respect each other’s admiration, he demanded admiration. And when it was not forthcoming, he pouted.
Ben Stokes is a great from the present. His heroics have won matches, inspired the young, and taken England to world championships. But cricket, like character, is not only measured by flashes of glory but by moments of elegance.
Old Trafford was not his finest appearance. Targeting an injured player, rejecting competitive grit, and demanding applause for a handshake stinks of entitlement — not compassion.
India wasn’t won over by the charm, and rightly so. Stokes might have attempted to play Gandhi, but he remembered one thing: Gandhi never shot for the foot. He shot for the heart.