In the ongoing fourth Test match against Team India, England skipper Ben Stokes will be eyeing another two milestones.
In India`s first innings of the fourth Test, Stokes already registered a five-wicket haul while bowling 24 overs, during which, he was smashed for 72 runs. With this, he became the fourth cricketer in the format`s history to score 10 or more centuries, and take at least five five-wicket hauls. The other three players on the list are West Indies` Garfield Sobers, England`s Ian Botham, and South Africa`s Jacques Kallis.
Ahead of Day 3, the 34-year-old is just 109 runs shy of completing 7000 runs in the traditional format of the game. So far, having represented the `Three Lions` in 115 Test matches, the left-hander has scored 6891 runs. He also has 13 centuries and 35 half-centuries in the format.
Additionally, he is falling short by just one boundary to complete his tally of 800 fours. With a total of 799 fours, Stokes has also smashed 133 maximums in the format.
Earlier, Team India was bowled out for 358 runs in 114.1 overs. England`s opening duo, Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, delivered stunning knocks. Facing 113 deliveries, Crawley smashed 84 runs, including 13 boundaries and a maximum. On the other hand, Duckett missed his century by just six runs. He faced 100 balls and smashed 13 boundaries.
Ollie Pope and Joe Root will resume Day 3 with the overnight score of 225 runs for the loss of two wickets in 46 overs.
England still trail India`s total of 358 by 133 runs. Earlier, Rishabh Pant`s half-century was the highlight of India`s innings, as he came out to bat despite his foot being injured. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, and Pant were the three half-centurions for India. KL Rahul and Shardul Thakur, too, registered scores of 46 and 41 runs, respectively.
The hosts` skipper Stokes registered a five-wicket haul, followed by Jofra Archer`s three wickets. Chris Woakes and Liam Dawson, too, registered one scalp each to their names.
The ongoing game is a do-or-die contest for the visitors, as they are already trailing by 1-2 in the five-match Test series.
