Former England captain Ben Stokes has been dismissed by R Sai Kishore and Yuzvendra Chahal in consecutive County Championship matches.
Stokes has been active in the domestic circuit ever since retiring from international cricket earlier this summer after the Test series against New Zealand. While he has displayed good all-round form for Durham, the left-handed batter seems to be struggling against the Indian spinners playing in the County Championship.
He was castled with a beauty by Chahal in the first innings against Northamptonshire for just 14 runs. The leg-spinner bowled a brilliant delivery that pitched way outside the off-stump and turned a long way to castle Stokes, breaching his front-foot defence. Even the batter was surprised by the amount of turn and had no option but to walk back to the pavilion.
That is sensational pic.twitter.com/ChwDk7JfLR
— Rothesay County Championship (@CountyChamp) September 3, 2026
It was a good outing for Chahal as he finished with four wickets for just 36 runs as Durham were bundled out for only 205 runs. Apart from Stokes, Chahal dismissed Alex Lees, Kasey Aldridge and Matthew Potts.
This was Stokes' second consecutive bowled dismissal to an Indian spinner in the County Championship. In Durham's previous game against Gloucestershire, left-arm spinner Kishore bowled a peach of a delivery to castle Stokes. Even then, Stokes’ frustration was evident after getting out as he threw his bat in the air. He was batting well at the time on 45 with seven fours and a six before Sai showcased his brilliance with the ball.
Sai Kishore... ladies and gentlemen!
— Gloucestershire Cricket (@Gloscricket) August 28, 2026
Ben Stokes is bowled, and there isn't a lot you can do about deliveries like that!#BecomeGlorious pic.twitter.com/b8WbN3jXEy
Overall, this is the third time that Stokes has been dismissed by an Indian spinner this summer. Earlier in the season, Stokes also got out to Kuldeep Yadav against Yorkshire in the One-Day Cup. However, the all-rounder has been in brilliant form, scoring 332 runs in seven innings at an average of 55.33 with three fifties and picking up 15 wickets at 23.13 with a five-for.
Image Credits: Rothesay County Championship/X
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