Ben Stokes used to have a session with the ball on the eve of each of the five Tests on England’s tour of India early last year. But five overs were all he had bowled in that series, in the final Test in Dharamsala.

At that point, Stokes had to be careful of his dodgy left knee before the left hamstring started troubling him. It forced him out of half of the 2024 English summer before he was rushed back to play towards the end of the Pakistan tour.

Stokes played through that on the tour of New Zealand last November and December, where he also finished with a total of 36.2 overs in the Hamilton Test. Obviously, it took a toll on his hamstring as he was then sidelined for five months.

To England’s relief, he regained fitness ahead of the home series against India, warming up with a one-off Test against Zimbabwe in Nottingham in May.

A popular saying going around in English cricket is Stokes almost thrives on being a wounded animal, as it gets his juices flowing. So far in the series, where England lead 2-1, their captain has appeared far from wounded, even after there were concerns over his adductor on Day I of the Lord’s Test.

A few experts had expressed doubts over whether Stokes could bowl in the third Test. But what did Stokes go on to do? He bowled as many as 48 overs, the most among the England bowlers. And that included the two marathon spells of 9.2 and 10 overs in the morning and post-Lunch sessions on the enthralling final day at Lord’s.

Those two spells were game-defining not because they earned him wickets at crucial phases, but they helped England maintain relentless pressure on India.

Questions are also raised over Stokes’ batting form. But at Lord’s, he featured in partnerships of 88 and 67 with Joe Root to give England the runs, which eventually proved crucial. These are also among the characteristics of a true big-match player.

Besides, for someone who hadn’t bowled so many overs in the recent past, the spells underlined Stokes’ level of commitment and his work ethics. Considering what his knee and hamstring have had to go through, he wouldn’t be at fault had he availed the workload-management card and stayed away from sending down so many overs.

One can certainly claim that Stokes may not have taken such a workload had the England bowling attack been sharper overall. But that’s where the qualities of an out-and-out team man stand out.

“Stokes’ commitment and work ethics are not merely attributes; they are the bedrock of his transformative impact on England’s Test team. His marathon spells at Lord’s weren’t just a physical feat, but a powerful demonstration of his mental strength, unwavering dedication to victory and the profound influence he has as a leader.

“He exemplifies the idea that true greatness often comes from an extraordinary commitment to the grind and an insatiable desire to win,” former England all-rounder Phillip DeFreitas told The Telegraph on Wednesday.

Root summed it up well. “I was just panicking that he (Stokes) wasn’t going to make it through the game after a couple of bad injuries, but he clearly trusts his body now.

“He knows what he’s doing and he’s got a good handle on where he’s at physically,” Root told the BBC.