Ben Stokes accused of 'abusing' Mohammed Siraj after hostile spell from Indian bowler

[ASFN Admin]

Ben Stokes has been accused of abusing Indian bowler Mohammed Siraj as England struggled to contain their frustrations on a dismal first day of the fourth Test. The tourists' batting once again let them down as they were skittled out for 205 despite winning the toss on a good pitch, severely denting their hopes of securing a 2-2 draw in the series. Stokes top-scored for England with 55 but not before he was involved in a spat with Siraj and India's captain Virat Kohli. Stokes clashed with Siraj after facing a hostile first five balls from the fast bowler, and was then confronted by Kohli at the end of the over, with the umpire having to intervene to keep the pair apart. After play, Siraj told reporters in Hindi that Stokes had instigated the flashpoint. “He abused me and I told Virat, who handled it," he said. "It’s important to have the backing of your captain.” "Stokes said a few things to me," Siraj added. "'He was swearing. But that happens on the ground. I told Kohli this was happening, and he took care of the issue." Stokes, for his part, was keen to play down the incident. "It's two professionals showing they care about the sport that they love,” he said. “A lot gets said these days when two guys seem to come to words out in the middle. There was completely nothing untoward, just two blokes who care about what they do and two guys who definitely don't back down. “We’re competitors, so we’re not going to back down to anyone, whoever it will be. It was competitive guys trying to get one over each other.”

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