"Never Understood Hype Around Him": Ex-India Star's Brutal Criticism Of Ben Stokes
Former batter Mohammad Kaif slammed England skipper Ben Stokes for his poor captaincy in the ongoing second Test against India in Birmingham
Former batter Mohammad Kaif slammed England skipper Ben Stokes for his poor captaincy in the ongoing second Test against India in Birmingham. After opting to bowl first, England bowlers were taken to absolute cleaners by Shubman Gill and co, who posted a whopping target of 608 in their second innings. Gill scored a double ton in the first innings, followed by 161 runs in the second one.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Kaif criticised Stokes for his decision to bowl on a flat track after winning the toss.
"I have never understood the hype around Ben Stokes the captain. On a flat track with sun shining he decides to bowl, today with some life in pitch edges flying but no extra slip. Batsmen took England to win in first Test but Stokes didn't score many. Please inform if I have missed any of his hidden leadership master stroke," wrote Kaif on X.
I have never understood the hype around Ben Stokes the captain. On a flat track with sun shining he decides to bowl, today with some life in pitch edges flying but no extra slip. Batsmen took England to win in first Test but Stokes didn't score many. Please inform if I have…
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) July 5, 2025
In the first Test, Stokes 20 and 33 runs in the first and second innings respectively. In the first innings of the second Test, he was dismissed for duck by Mohammed Siraj.
Shubman Gill's insatiable appetite for runs resulted in a second hundred of the game as India set an impossible 608-run target, throwing down the gauntlet to England's Bazballers who were staring down the barrel going into day five of the second Test in Birmingham.
Gill (161 off 162 balls) turned himself into a virtual 'Run Machine', smashing his third hundred in four innings following his epic 269 in the first essay.
The other contributions in the second innings came from Ravindra Jadeja (69 not out), Rishabh Pant (65) and KL Rahul (55) as India declared their second innings at 427 for six.
(With PTI Inputs)
India Cricket Team
England Cricket Team
Ben Stokes