England’s frontline pacer Jofra Archer was inspired to deliver the game-changing spell against India in the third Test by Sourav Ganguly's iconic shirt-swinging from the Lord’s balcony after a memorable win over England back in 2002, England captain Ben Stokes has said. Ganguly had taken off his shirt to celebrate India's win in the NatWest Trophy final, and it remains one of the most dramatic moments in international cricket.
Archer removed Rishabh Pant on Monday before taking a return catch to dismiss Washington Sundar as India lost by 22 runs despite their best efforts towards the end.
Interestingly, England scripted their famous win at Lord’s on the same day they had won the 2019 ODI World Cup final on a boundary count after the game could not be decided by regulation methods. However, when Stokes reminded Archer about that momentous day six years ago, Archer thought of the Ganguly moment that happened 17 years ago, mixing the dates of the ICC World Cup final and the NatWest title clash in 2002.
“I was like, no…that World Cup that we won? He was like, ‘oh that one’. He’s an absolute beauty, that boy. I just had the feeling today and that Rishabh Pant wicket was massive in a low run chase. It felt right in my tummy that Jof was gonna do something this morning to break the game open. Gut feeling doesn't always work, but those two wickets he got this morning obviously swung the game massively in our favour,” said Stokes, who was mindful of England’s World Cup win in 2019 on this day.
The England captain has supported Archer wholeheartedly and they also share a special bond. It was evident on the field in the morning session. “He wanted me to come to mid-on and Carsey to go to leg slip so that he could talk to me. But I didn’t trust Carsey at leg slip, to be honest,” said Stokes, who got the player of the match award for leading from the front.
Coming back after an injury, Stokes completed spells of 9.2 overs and 10 overs in his effort to maintain pressure on India. Despite his workload in this match, Stokes said he would be fine for the fourth Test beginning in Manchester on July 23.
‘Sledging fine, but don’t cross the line’
Asked about the heated exchanges and sledging by players of both teams, Stokes said he did not read too much into it. "I think in a big series like this, there was always going to be a moment where the two teams were going to clash. I’m all for it as long as it does not cross the line. If you think about it, it’s 22 people out there playing for their country. This is the highest honour you can have in our sport. So, you can understand that sometimes emotions and tensions can get quite high,” he said.
Keyboard warriors silenced, says Archer
Jofra Archer said he is happy to have silenced the “keyboard warriors” who went after him during his long layoff from multiple injury setbacks. It was Archer who hastened India’s collapse in the second innings of the third Test at Lord's. He dismissed opener Yashasvi Jaiswal for a duck before claiming the scalps of Rishabh Pant and Washington Sundar to help England win by 22 runs.
“I guess I was a little bit emotional after England's win. It was a long journey. I can't tell you the number of keyboard warriors there have been for the last three or four years,” he said.
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