The Prague Post - England captain Stokes wants to 'lie on my bed' after India nail-biter

The all-rounder was named player of the match after scoring 77 runs and taking five wickets across the Test, in addition to an important first-innings run out of Rishabh Pant, as England went 2-1 up in a five-match series.

Stokes put himself through a particularly gruelling stint on Monday's final day by bowling 19.2 energy-sapping overs on his way to leading England's attack with a second-innings return of 3-48.

"I'm not going to lie, I cannot wait to just lie on my bed for four days and then be raring to go for (next week’s fourth Test at) Manchester," Stokes told reporters.

His position as a fully fledged all-rounder had been called into question by repeated knee problems but Stokes showed his worth to England as a lively medium-pacer on Monday.

Stokes took the key wicket of India opener KL Rahul before bouncing out Jasprit Bumrah when the tailender was offering stout support to Ravindra Jadeja (61 not out) as the all-rounder guided his side towards a target of 193 after a collapse.

The tense chase only ended when last man Mohammed Siraj unluckily played on to spinner Shoaib Bashir.

Stokes has a deserved reputation for taking key wickets, with the 34-year-old saying: "I have got some history of turning up in moments like that with the ball. I was pretty pumped.

"Bowling to win a Test match for your country on day five... if that doesn’t get you going or up for going out there and putting in for your team, I don't know what will.

"The game was on the line. Today it was going to be my decision on when I stopped bowling."

England's win came six years to the day since their 2019 Worl Cup final win at Lord's, with Stokes, Jofra Archer, Joe Root and Chris Woakes the four survivors from that stunning Super Over success.

Archer bowled the most tense six balls in England's limited-overs history and the memory of that day inspired Stokes to open the attack with him on Monday in what was the Sussex express quick's first Test after more than four years of injury-induced exile.

Stokes' decision was vindicated by Archer ripping out dangerman Pant's off stump before the 30-year-old held an excellent caught and bowled chance to dismiss Washington Sundar in front of another capacity crowd at the Home of Cricket.

"That was genuinely the reason why we went with it, it felt right in my tummy that Jof was going to do something this morning to break the game open," said Stokes.

India, all but beaten at 82-7 shortly before lunch, still took the match into the final session with Jadeja, who batted for nearly four-and-a-half hours, doing a superb job of marshalling the tourists' much-criticised tail.

"I'm extremely proud, this is as close as a Test match can get," said India captain Shubman Gill.

Jadeja, 36, has now scored four consecutive fifties this series, with Gill adding: "He's very experienced. He was batting brilliantly with the tail."

India made it clear before the series that Bumrah, the world's top-ranked Test bowler, would only appear in three of the five matches in order to protect his fitness following a back injury.

The outstanding fast bowler has now played two, having also featured in a five-wicket defeat in the series opener at Headingley before being rested from India's mammoth 336-run in the second Test at Edgbaston.

Gill, asked if Bumrah would feature at Old Trafford next week, gave little way in replying: "You'll get to know soon."

P.Benes--TPP