“Is This Question Being Asked?”: Ashwin Raises Concerns Over Ben Stokes After England’s Ashes 2025-26 Collapse

Former India star Ravichandran Ashwin questioned Ben Stokes' ability to play spin after his dismissal by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon in the third Test series of the Ashes. The skipper was dismissed for just five runs by Lyon, which came at a crucial moment in the mammoth 435-run chase, which England fell short of by 82 runs.

Following this, questions have been raised over the visitors' capabilities and the overall approach of the game after losing three tests to Australia within 11 days.

Ashwin, in his YouTube channel Ash Ki Baat, questioned if the management in the England side is looking into Ben Stokes' struggles against off-spin.

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Ashwin Elaborates On Ben Stokes' Struggles

Ashwin, who has dismissed Stokes 13 times in his Test career, elaborated on the difficulties that the English captain likely faces when he tries to play an off-spin.

Ashwin questioned, "Ben Stokes has been dismissed by off-spinners for as long as I’ve bowled and seen. Is this question being asked? He is fabulous player with the right attitude. You cannot play spin as you play fast bowling. You can’t do so on the top of the bounce. The theory of playing spin is to get to the pitch of the ball."

He further elaborated, "But fast bowlers, who generate lateral movement. It can be played with some adjustments. You are not going to be troubled by getting out lbw. There are two things. You are watching the ball out of the hand."

For the unversed, since 2024, Ben Stokes has averaged 21.89 against spin and has fallen 19 times to spin in 32 innings during this period.

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Ashwin Criticises Batters' Defensive Approach Against Spin

The former Indian player pointed out how non-asian batters rely on the sweep shot against spin and explained that it was the wrong approach to tackle off-spin.

He shared, "The primary aspect of spin is getting to the ball. If you don’t get to the ball, you are going on the back foot and looking to score. I’m watching many western players like Ben Stokes, Ben Duckett, and Aiden Markram sweep or reverse sweep because their defensive technique is wrong against spin. It’s not being addressed."

England are currently winless in their last 18 Test Down Under.