England captain Ben Stokes reached a huge milestone during the fourth day of the Manchester Test against India. He hit a six to complete 7,000 runs in Test cricket, becoming only the third all-rounder in history to score over 7,000 runs and take 200 wickets in Tests. The only other players to do this before him are Sir Garfield Sobers and Jacques Kallis, according to the ICC.
Stokes has scored 7,032 runs in 115 Test matches so far, including 14 centuries and 35 fifties. His best score is 258. He also took his 200th Test wicket last year at Lord’s against the West Indies.
Stokes Ends 2-Yr Wait for a Century
The century against India was special for Stokes, as it ended a two-year gap since his last Test hundred, which came in July 2023 during the Ashes. The 34-year-old faced cramps on Day 3 and had to leave the field for a short time. He came back to continue his innings after Jamie Smith was dismissed.
Earlier in the match, Stokes also took five wickets, helping to bowl out India for 358 runs in their first innings, showing his all-round value to the team.
Joe Root Breaks Records as England Takes Control
It wasn’t just Stokes reaching big numbers. On the 3rd day of the Test Match, Joe Root grabbed attention by becoming the second-highest run scorer in Test cricket. He passed Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, and Ricky Ponting while scoring 150 runs.
Root now has 13,409 runs, just behind Sachin Tendulkar, who scored 15,921 runs in Tests Centuries from both Stokes and Root, along with solid fifties by Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley, have put England in a strong position with a big lead in the match. Currently in a 5-match Test Series between India and England, the English team is leading the five-match series 2-1 after winning the games in Leeds and Lord’s. India has won one match so far, with a big 336-run win at Edgbaston.
