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Ben Stokes Vs Rishabh Pant: The Showdown That Lit Up The First IND-ENG Test At Leeds

Author Admin Estimated read time 3 min read



There’s something about Ben Stokes, a kind of magnetic presence that makes things happen when the game is teetering. India had just stitched together a solid 91-run opening partnership through KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal. The mood was calm. Then, Stokes walked. And just like that, debutant Sai Sudharsan was walking back for a duck, falling to an unusual leg-side trap that only someone like Stokes would dare to try.

But the real spark came a little later.

When Jaiswal, batting beautifully on 101, looked like he might carry the match away, Stokes pulled out a delivery from his back pocket, an absolute gem that beat the bat and crashed into the stumps. You could sense the shift. England were sniffing a way back until Rishabh Pant stepped onto the field to bat.

India’s new vice-captain didn’t take long to announce his arrival. His first ball? A textbook forward defence. The next? He danced down the track and thumped Stokes straight back over his head for four. It was bold. It was cheeky. It was pure Pant.

Most bowlers would’ve scowled. But not Stokes. He laughed, really laughed, and even had a friendly word with Pant. It was one of those moments that reminds you why Test cricket is so special. Two fierce competitors, fully in the zone, yet sharing mutual respect and a touch of humour. And it’s no secret, Stokes has long admired Pant, even saying he plays the kind of fearless, expressive cricket that England now tries to emulate with ‘Bazball’.

Stokes didn’t make it easy, though. He threw in bouncers, changed up his pace, and nearly got Pant with a clever slower ball. But Pant stood firm, refusing to take the bait. Alongside Shubman Gill, he ensured that England had no room to claw back into the game.

Gill, on his captaincy debut, looked every bit the part. Calm, composed, and classy, he brought up a stylish century, becoming just the fourth Indian skipper to do so on debut, joining legends like Hazare, Gavaskar, and Kohli.

Earlier, Jaiswal’s dazzling ton and a rock-solid opening stand with Rahul had laid the foundation. Though Rahul and Sudharsan fell in quick succession, Gill and Jaiswal steadied things before Pant took over.

But when people look back on this day, they might not remember just the scores. They’ll remember the moment Pant charged at Stokes. The laugh. The banter. And the fire in both their eyes.

That’s cricket at its best.





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