Ben Stokes’ secret fitness regime to be firing for the Ashes ...Middle East

1st Test, Day 1: India close on 359-3 (Gill 127*, Jaiswal 101 | Stokes 2-56)

HEADINGLEY — Two days out from every Test match, Ben Stokes goes through a rigorous workout he calls his “beast session.”

Turning up at the ground well before his teammates, England’s captain works relentlessly on his batting and bowling before hitting the gym.

A BEAUTY from Ben Stokes to bring Yashasvi Jaiswal's superb innings to an end pic.twitter.com/4UuTP1gHp0

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 20, 2025

It is for moments such as this tough first day of the series against India in Leeds that Stokes puts himself through this behind-the-scenes donkey work that few others see.

England were not good. In fact, they were terrible for most of a day that ended with India well on top and Stokes probably questioning why he decided to bowl first after winning the toss.

But at the start of a 10-Test run against India and Australia that will define the whole Bazball project, the sight of Stokes bowling better and faster than he has done for years was a huge bonus.

It is one thing turning it on against Zimbabwe, as Stokes did with the ball at Trent Bridge last month to prove he is over his injury issues and back as a full all-rounder.

This is India, the toughest series England face outside of an Ashes, and Stokes was head and shoulders above the rest of his teammates as he harried and harassed India’s batters to prove just why his bowling will be so key over these next seven months he hopes will culminate with him lifting the Ashes urn in Sydney in early January.

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That thought seemed fanciful as brilliant centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal and newly-installed India captain Shubman Gill made the rest of England’s attack seem impotent.

There will be others, notably Gus Atkinson, Mark Wood and Jofra Archer, who will in time come back to bolster the bowling resources.

Yet the brutal fact is that without Stokes operating as an all-rounder, this team will have zero chance of winning either this series or the one in Australia this winter.

That is not just because he balances out the XI and is a totemic presence on the field. It is because at his peak, he is England’s best bowler.

The 13 overs Stokes got through on this first day at Headingley were the most he has bowled in an innings of a home Test since the first Bazball summer of 2022.

Since then he has had knee surgery and twice torn his left hamstring, most recently in New Zealand last December.

It is why days such as this, when Stokes looks so good and ups his workload, spark fears that, at the age of 34, he might break down again.

WHAT A WAY TO DO IT!

Shubman Gill brings up his first century as India Test captain pic.twitter.com/1Xm1nJDBVs

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 20, 2025

It is instructive to note that away from home, Stokes has put himself through more work with the ball in recent times.

But that was in New Zealand last winter when, after bowling 24 overs in the first innings of a dead rubber in Hamilton, he tore his left hamstring for the second time in five months.

That is why the extra work Stokes is doing away from the spotlight is so important.

As well as those “beast sessions” that allow him to gradually taper his workload before each Test, he has largely given up alcohol this year.

It is understood he did have a drink after England’s victory against Zimbabwe at the end of last month but it is something he has mainly cut out, along with watching his diet more closely.

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This summer, he looks leaner and fitter than he has at any point in recent memory.

He is also working closely with Pete Sim, England’s strength and conditioning coach, who is offering tailored advice to reduce the chances of another injury cropping up in this crucial period.

Stokes has every intention of being with his team every step of the way until the very end of the Ashes and the steps he is taking off the field show he is deadly serious.

Speaking before this Test, Stokes admitted he now feels his bowling is at its best since the pre-Covid tour of South Africa in the winter of 2019-20.

The reason for that is not only plentiful rest – this Test is only his second match since tearing that hamstring last December – but the extra technical work he undertook in the weeks before this series.

With injuries throwing his action out of sync, he has corrected things to a level where he declared on the eve of this series: “I feel like I was before I had my injuries.”

It certainly looked that way, too, on this opening day in Leeds, with the highlight of Stokes’s performance the 87-miles-per hour ball that bowled Jaiswal shortly after tea.

Stokes has had better Headingley moments over the years.

Yet that delivery to Jaiswal, a mere footnote of the day, may grow in significance over the coming months.

India captain Shubman Gill silenced the sceptics with a fine century (Photo: Getty)

Sai KO

A tough morning for England was alleviated with two wickets in the final seven minutes before lunch when Brydon Carse had KL Rahul caught at first slip and then Ben Stokes struck to remove debutant Sai Sudharsan for a four-ball duck.

Green around the Gill

Ollie Pope, preferred here to Jacob Bethell, missed a golden chance to run out Shubman Gill, on one, early in the afternoon session when his shy at the stumps from midwicket missed the stumps and instead went for four overthrows.

Master blaster

Having scored 712 runs against England in India last year, including two double hundreds, Yashasvi Jaiswal started the summer in style, carving Carse for three fours to move onto 99 before a single brought up his fifth Test century. Struggling with cramp in his right arm, it was a masterful innings from the 23-year-old.

Big Ben leads by example

Stokes looked England’s most threatening bowler all day so it was no surprise when he finally got rid of Jaiswal in the second over after tea with an 87-miles-per-hour delivery that swung in to bowl India’s newest batting superstar. It left the tourists 221 for three.

Captain’s knock

Gill made the most of his early reprieve to start his captaincy in style with a century full of sumptuous shots. There weren’t many better than the one that saw him drive Josh Tongue through the covers for four to get to the landmark in 140 balls

Stat of the day

Most catches in Test history

“It’s a huge six months for England. It will be good for them to have these five Test matches before the Ashes. They need to keep building on that decent result against Zimbabwe. Can they build on that throughout the summer to make sure they are going to Australia in a good position?”

Former England bowler James Anderson on BBC Test Match Special

Bazball-o-meter: 2/10

Aside from Stokes, England struggled badly in the field. They weren’t the ones providing the entertainment either, with Jaiswal, Gill and Rishabh Pant turning on the style to bat their team into a commanding position on day one.

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