The 4th Test between India and England at Old Trafford, Manchester, heads into its final day with England firmly in control and on the verge of clinching the series.
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England are already leading the series 2-1, and a win in Manchester would mean a series win for the hosts. One man who has stood out for the home team throughout the series has been their skipper, Ben Stokes.
However, former India cricketer Dodda Ganesh believes Stokes is not a genuine all-rounder and requires familiar conditions to perform.
Ben Stokes’ All-Round brilliance in India vs England 2025 Test Series
Stokes has produced magnificent all-round performances to ensure England's dominance over a young Indian side. He has been the backbone of the English side in their series against India so far.
His marathon spells at Lord's reignited the fire in the hosts that went on to defend a small total to clinch the third game.
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In the four games so far, Ben Stokes is leading the bowling charts with 16 wickets, including a fifer in Manchester. He has also scored 304 runs with the bat at an average of 43, which included his match-winning knocks at Lord's and a century on Day 3 in Manchester.
What did Dodda Ganesh say about Ben Stokes and Kapil Dev?
Ganesh has now expressed his opinion on the English skipper, stating that Stokes is far behind genuine all-rounders such as Kapil Dev, Imran Khan, or Ian Botham, who were all-condition players.
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The former Indian cricketer, posted on X (formerly Twitter), said:
A genuine all-rounder is the one who delivers irrespective of the conditions. With due respect to Stokes, he was pedestrian in India. The likes of Kapil Dev, Ian Botham, and Imran Khan will always stay a few notches above the modern-day all-rounders
Stokes had a below-par series when England toured India for five Test matches last year. The English skipper managed just 199 runs in 10 innings at an average of under 20, and took only one wicket across the series.
However, Stokes' performances in the 2025 Test series against India have been a complete turnaround. Next, he will be hoping to guide England to a series victory over India at Old Trafford.
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Ben Stokes' Record in Home and Away Test matches
| Test Match | Matches | Runs | Bat. Average | Wickets | Bowl Strike Rate |
| Home | 53 | 3340 | 40.24 | 122 | 52.9 |
| Away | 59 | 3604 | 38.37 | 102 | 61.0 |
| Neutral | 3 | 88 | 14.66 | 5 | 83.0 |