IND vs ENG | Twitter in awe as knee-ache-free Stokes takes running blinder with brilliant athleticism

England brought themselves back into contention for the second Test in Vizag by snaring four Indian wickets in the first session of Day 3 after having conceded a first-innings lead of 143. James Anderson kickstarted the change in momentum by getting rid of both host openers with corkers but the dynamic duo of Shubman Gill and Shreyas Gill managed to survive the spell and dig themselves in, accumulating 81 runs together in a partnership that threatened to close the doors on any chance of an English win. Unsurprisingly, it took a moment of magic from Ben Stokes to keep the game alive.

With Gill turning up the ante with three boundaries in his previous nine balls, an inspired Iyer decided to take Tom Hartley on in the 27th over and shuffled down the track on the very first ball. The left-arm spinner in response angled the delivery down the leg stump but the batter went through his whip through the offside anyway, only to end up skying the ball high in the air. Even so, the shot seemed a relatively safe option given the field was up with no long-off in place and Stokes stationed inside the circle at mid-off. Determined to earn his team the crucial breakthrough, the 32-year-old turned around in a jiffy and sprinted towards the boundary, constantly checking over his shoulders for the arriving red cherry, before timing his heave forward perfectly for the SG to land safely in his palms.

Stokes, playing his first series after a major operation to rid himself of the chronic knee pain that had been plaguing him for several years, was visibly ecstatic at having pulled off the athletic grab and was immediately mobbed by his teammates for the stupendous effort, a sentiment echoed by Twitterati.  

Man who runs like an animal!

Phew!!! That shh.. scares mah knees 🥵🔥

Absolute stunner!

Shreyas was not expecting that coming home!

Brilliantly taken!! Makes no mistake at all.

Pure joy!!!!

Would hug him an hour for that!

Salute bradherrr!!! YOu deserve it!

Can't just put it in two words!