Ashwin hits back after flak for criticising England skipper Stokes

Former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin did not stay silent after being attacked on social media for criticising England captain Ben Stokes. After the first two Tests, Ashwin had asked questions of Stokes' batting approach in the series, as the England captain had a torrid time handling the Indian bowlers.

"Ben Stokes is a fabulous player. I take my hat off to him. But we need to remember one thing. Barring that Headingley heroics in the Ashes, what has he achieved as a batter?" Ashwin said on his Hindi YouTube channel 'Ash Ki Baat.' "The readiness to play a Test match in the way a Test match needs to be played-that is the problem from the leadership standpoint. You are telling every batter to go and play an attacking brand of cricket, so you need to play like that only," he said.

Stokes displayed a lionhearted performance, especially with the ball in the third Test at Lord's to return as the Player of the Match. In the fourth test in Manchester, he went a few steps further to prove why he is one of the best all-rounders in the world at the moment. After picking up five wickets with the ball, Stokes hit 141 to help England take a massive 311-run lead.

As soon as Stokes hit his 14th Test century, social media was flooded with criticism for Ashwin, who had pointed fingers at the left-handed batter. But Ashwin was not the one to digest everything silently. A great all-rounder himself, Ashwin clarified that he never doubted Stokes' quality but was only highlighting the need for him to approach Test cricket like it should be.