What defines the greatest Test all-rounder? Is it the numbers on a scorecard, or is it the sheer weight of moments they command — when games teeter, and only one figure can hold the fort or tear it down? At Lord’s, two such figures stood out. One on each side.
One with sword-swinging flair and unshakable composure. The other with bloodied resolve and a near-mythical knack for making things happen. Ravindra Jadeja and Ben Stokes — two modern-day all-round titans — showcased the impossibly demanding life of players who are expected to do it all.
The Relentless Warrior: Stokes’ Will Over Matter
Ben Stokes is not just England’s captain. He’s their pulse in red-ball chaos and their spine in Test match warzones. Against India in the third Test at Lord’s, he bowled 24 overs in the second innings — 18.2 of them on the final day. Add to that the 20 he sent down in the first innings, five wickets in total, 77 valuable runs with the bat, and a pivotal run-out of Rishabh Pant. Oh, and captaincy.
It was a performance that asked questions of human limits, and Stokes answered them by refusing to blink.
When England were crawling toward victory, Stokes kept pushing himself — one more over, and then another, and another. He even forgot to collect his cap from the umpire after one of his endless spells. Yet, somehow, in the mayhem, he remained the calm in England’s storm.
Not for the first time either — Headingley 2019 still lives in cricketing folklore as the ultimate testament to his all-round legend. At Lord’s, he did it again. Not in a blaze of boundaries, but in the grit of 78 overs across both innings. The numbers may eventually fade. The aura, never.
The Silent Master: Jadeja’s Art Of Stillness
On the other end of the battlefield was Jadeja — India’s red-ball stalwart, the archetype of old-school minimalism, and arguably the most balanced all-rounder in the world today. His unbeaten 61 in the fourth innings — his fourth consecutive Test fifty — almost dragged India to a famous win. It wasn’t flamboyant, but it was full of skill, clarity, and an old-fashioned refusal to give in.
Jadeja faced 181 balls on the final day, scoring 61 of the 99 runs made while he was at the crease. That’s more than 30 overs of concentration — not just surviving but calculating. India needed 193 to win; he carried them to 170. It was heartbreak, but it was also evidence of Jadeja’s unmatched ability to balance control and risk.
What began as a “let’s see how far we can go” chase ended with him helpless at the non-striker’s end, watching Siraj’s dismissal bring it all crashing down.
His is a story of turning up — always. Since 2018, he’s averaged over 42 with the bat and remained one of the most consistent spinners in world cricket. With nearly 14,000 deliveries bowled in Tests since his debut and over 2,000 runs since 2018 alone, Jadeja can walk into most sides either as a frontline batter or bowler. And yet, his greatness is rarely trumpeted — perhaps because he doesn’t shout it himself.
The Rarity Of The Real All-Rounder
To be a true Test all-rounder today is to embrace exhaustion — mental, physical, and emotional. Cricket no longer allows specialists the luxury of doing just one job. But to do two at world-class levels, consistently, across formats, is beyond rare. Jacques Kallis, the gold standard, did it for over a decade. Today, it’s Stokes and Jadeja who keep the flag flying, in different ways.
Stokes, the “main character” with his never-say-die energy and match-defining flourishes. Jadeja, the monk-like artist who quietly tilts matches in his team’s favour with relentless, rhythmic precision. They are mirrors to each other in some ways — one fire, the other ice. But both, in their own ways, show just how impossibly hard the craft of a Test all-rounder really is.
The Test All-Rounder: An Endangered But Priceless Breed
There are fewer and fewer of them in the longest format. Australia has Cameron Green, though injuries have curbed his bowling. South Africa might stretch Marco Jansen into one. Bangladesh had Shakib. India, besides Jadeja, have Washington Sundar on the horizon. But it’s Jadeja and Stokes who are the standard-bearers.
With calendars packed and formats multiplying, Test all-rounders are under more pressure than ever. Franchise leagues crave them. National teams can’t do without them. They don’t just lengthen the team. They define it. And at Lord’s, in a match of immense tension, Stokes and Jadeja once again proved why — and how — their value goes far beyond runs, wickets, or even results.
They don’t just play the game. They carry it.
