With Lord’s Test on the line, England’s injury-prone captain Ben Stokes threw workload management out of the window to bowl two marathon spells on day five, raising the benchmark not just for his own men but also for the Indian fast bowlers going into the final two games. The 34-year-old all-rounder has had to deal with injuries throughout his career and most recently underwent a surgery following a hamstring tear in January.

The possibility of a breakdown was real but he pushed his body to the limit in the third Test, completing two rather long spells of 9.2 and 10 overs on Monday to maintain pressure on India while Jofra Archer delivered body blows in the first 40 minutes of play from the other end.

Reminders were given from the dressing room to look after his ageing body but Stokes would have none of it. 44 overs in the match, especially the high workload on day five, may impact Stokes’ body but having quit alcohol to raise his fitness levels, the England leader expects to be fresh again for the Manchester Test beginning in eight days’ time.

His commitment to winning a Test match has also raised a few valid questions relating to the Indian camp.

Jasprit Bumrah, an injury prone cricketer like Stokes, would be playing only three out of the five Tests. It was planned well in advance ahead of the tour and the champion fast bowler missed the second Test in Birmingham as part of workload management despite India losing the series-opener at Leeds.