Despite what stats might say, Ben Stokes is better than Ravindra Jadeja

The conclusion of the recent 4th Test between India and England further raised the already-high stock of Ravindra Jadeja as a top all-rounder. Although his bowling in this series has been very modest, the southpaw has already scored over 400 runs in the series.

This has led many Indian fans to take a potshot at England captain Ben Stokes and suggest that it's the Saurashtra cricketer and not the England skipper who is the best all-rounder in the world. Co-incidentally, Jadeja's brilliant match-saving hundred came in the same game where Stokes joined a rare list of all-rounders to score a hundred and take five wickets in the same game.

So, are the Indian fans right, is Jadeja better than Stokes? Is the reputation of Stokes as the 'best all-rounder' an example of English cricket supremacism and not a justifiable tag?

The stats are on the side of Ravindra Jadeja. He averages 37.86 with the bat and 25.06 with the ball. In comparison, Ben Stokes averages 35.69 as a batsman and 31.64 as a bowler. So, Jadeja has a valid case for the title of the 'best all-rounder in the world.'

However, if there is one thing we know about stats, especially when it comes to cricket, is that they hide more than they reveal. In the case of Stokes, the stats are peculiarly insufficient. While Jadeja has played most of his cricket in India as one of the two leading spinners on dusty pitches, Stokes has been England's fourth, or even fifth, seamer on most occasions, behind the likes of James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes, etc.

But that's not the only reason to disregard stats' story in relation to Jadeja and Stokes. The England captain has been a talismanic cricketer unlike any other in the last decade. He has repeatedly shown an ability to step up for his team when the odds were against them or when they needed someone to do so.

Everyone remembers his iconic knock at Headingley in 2019 against Australia. However, what many might forget is what happened on the previous day. When England looked down and out and set to conceded a huge target against the visitors, it was Stokes who stepped up with the ball, delivering a typically warrior-like spell to bring England back into the game.

His figures of 3/56 may look unremarkable, even though they were the best in the innings, but what they don't reflect is how the Durham cricketer bowled his heart out to help his team restrict Australia's target for England to 359. What followed is well-known and celebrated.

This was just one instance of Stokes dragging his team along with him with the ball. The all-rounder's five-wicket haul against India in the 4th Test was his first in eight years, but in these eight years, he had bowled several decisive spells, and around the world.

Similarly, in the Cape Town Test of January 2020, when Vernon Philander and Dwaine Pretorius were keeping England at bay to salvage a draw for their team, it was Ben Stokes again who rose to the occasion with a huge effort to knock out the last three wickets and take his team to a win.

That's where Stokes' value comes to the fore. He doesn't pick up too many five-fers with the ball, but the wickets he gets are often very valuable. His figures often hide the enormous efforts he puts in when everyone else seems to be at their wits' ends. Even in the last match, when England seemed clueless at breaking the third wicket partnership of India, it was Stokes who came in and dismissed KL Rahul.

This warrior-like attitude that repeatedly surfaces with Stokes is what makes him above and beyond the comprehension of simple stats. The lion-hearted efforts he produces in situations where his team needs him makes him a true heir to talismanic English all-rounders like Ian Botham and Andrew Flintoff.

Now, we come to his batting. In this department, there is a closer relation between his output and their value. Still, he has produced some extraordinary innings that are more than their basic details. Whether it was the miracle at Headingley or the 250 he scored at Cape Town in 2016 (the fastest in Test cricket), he has shown the ability to produce astounding performances.

Before Joe Root's emergence as the premier batsman in the world in 2021, it was Ben Stokes who was England's best batsman and technically, most sound. He has massively undersold himself in the 'Bazball' regime by trying to bat ultra-aggressively, but seems to getting back to his rhythm.

This nonchalance towards his stats is another reason why numbers are not enough to calculate Ben Stokes' worth. Ravindra Jadeja's contributions cannot be understated and he too has stepped up for India on many occasions, but like Jacques Kallis, he seems more of an efficient cricketer who is good at producing great returns for his team. But like Ian Botham and Sir Garfield Sobers, Stokes is the difference-maker who can single-handedly turn the fortunes of his team. This makes him the best all-rounder in world cricket.