England captain Ben Stokes continued his forgettable outing on Day 3 of the second Test against India at Edgbaston. The 34-year-old was dismissed for his first-ever golden duck in Tests by a brute from Mohammed Siraj.

Stokes made a questionable decision to bowl first on a flat Edgbaston track on Day 1 and paid a heavy price for it as India amassed 587 in their first innings. In response, England sank to 84/4 at the start of the second day when the skipper walked out to bat.

However, his first-ball duck dented England further, with his batting form coming under scrutiny. Stokes has averaged a dismal 26.56 in his last 16 Tests since the start of 2024.

Fans on X slammed the England captain for his decision at the toss, followed by another failure with the bat.

Here are some of the best reactions:

Fans continued to go at Stokes for his dismal outing thus far, with one saying:

“Ben Stokes must be dropped from the team. His captaincy and now his batting has already cost us this match. The Ashes is far too important to have a cavalier captain in charge who makes whacky decisions and is an injury waiting to happen.”

“What does Ben Stokes actually offer with his batting or bowling these days?,” tweeted a fan.

“The day will come soon where we discuss whether Stokes is good enough to bat at test level anymore,” a fan said.

England in disarray with Ben Stokes’ early departure

Team India has thoroughly outplayed England thus far in the second Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Edgbaston. After Ben Stokes asked India to bat first in a repeat of the first Test, the visitors have called all the shots.

Indian skipper Shubman Gill produced an innings for the ages with a masterful 269 off 387 deliveries. He received excellent support from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ravindra Jadeja, both falling short of three-figure scores by 13 and 11 runs, respectively.

After scoring a massive 587, the Indian bowlers breathed fire in the final hour on Day 2, reducing England to 77/3. The two wickets on the morning of Day 4 saw England lose half their side, with the deficit still over 500 runs.

The pace duo of Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep have taken all five wickets, with the former picking up the last three wickets after the latter’s initial burst of two wickets.

As things stand, England are in the middle of a mini-recovery at 137/5 in 31 overs, with Harry Brook and Jamie Smith stitching a half-century sixth-wicket partnership.