England’s Stokes buries his Eden ghosts

Ben Stokes was relieved to have "got rid of bad memories" when he finally ended up on the winning side during the dramatic third and final ODI against India at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday night.

The 25-year-old Durham all-rounder would have been gripped by a sense of deja vu when team-mate Chris Woakes began the final over with India needing 16 runs for victory and a 3-0 sweep of the series.

Less than a year ago at the same venue, Stokes had been handed the last over in the World Twenty20 final with the West Indies needing an improbable 19 to win -- only to see Carlos Brathwaite smash the first four balls for sixes.

On Sunday, another nightmare loomed for England when Woakes conceded 10 runs off the first two deliveries as Kedar Jadhav smote a six and a four through the off-side region.

Image Id: E0C1C99F4D4F4AD9A74110741640FA7C Image Caption: Ben Stokes collected the vital wicket of Virat Kohli in the third ODI // BCCI

But unlike Stokes, Woakes held his nerves to silence a sell-out crowd of 60,000 at the Eden Gardens by bowling four dot balls, claiming Jadhav off the fifth, to clinch a five-run win.

Woakes may have been the man of the moment, but it was Stokes who was the man of the match for his unbeaten 57 off 39 balls and three key wickets, including that of danger man Virat Kohli.

As the tourists celebrated their first win on the split tour – England were beaten 4-0 in the Test series before Christmas and lost the first two ODIs on their return – Stokes was a visibly relieved man.

"This is just a win on its own terms," said Stokes, insisting there could be no comparison with what happened in the World Twenty20 final.

"That was nine months ago, the memories of that have gone. But, yeah, it's nice to come back here and get rid of bad memories of that game.

Quick Single: England win an ODI thriller

"It was another game of cricket to focus on and nice to get a win here.

"There was a bit of banter flying around in the days leading up to this game so it’s nice to come back here and get rid of those bad experiences."

Stokes said he understood what Woakes must have gone through and hailed him for holding his own in the tense final moments.

"You’re under pressure as a bowler when the first two go for boundaries, but if you can get rid of the bloke who’s in, you’re right back in the game. Credit to Woakesey for holding his nerve at the end."

England limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan, who had shrewdly bowled out Stokes before the final over, nevertheless spoke highly of his leading all-rounder.

"He’s an incredible player and we’re lucky to have him," Morgan said of Stokes.

"He gives you everything he’s got – which is a lot – and we don’t take that for granted."

Even Kohli, who had a few verbal skirmishes with Stokes during the Test series, praised him for bouncing back after the World Twenty20 debacle.

"I really felt bad for him in that final," Kohli said.

"We all saw it. I feel he is someone who takes a lot of pride in his cricket and he's very proud to play for England.

Image Id: 460434E5E57E473AB7DC52E1E2869521 Image Caption: India claimed the ODI series 2-1 // BCCI

"I saw the disappointment and the sadness on his face when England lost that final. But he's a guy with great character, he's always fighting to win games for England. We all see that in Test cricket.

"He was really motivated to win the game for them. You could tell from his body language. The way he bowled, the way he batted and the way he was running in the end when batting.

"Every side is pleased to have cricketers like that. And nowadays everyone does play with that mindset. But I am sure it feels nice for him to have sort of reversed the tales here as far as this ground (Eden Gardens) is concerned.

"Good on him, I mean he was really good with the ball and bat."

The two sides will now face-off in three Twenty20 internationals starting in Kanpur on Thursday.