Indian leg-spinner
The dismissal occurred in the 47th over while Durham were attempting to rebuild their innings at 187 for six. Chahal, operating from around the wicket, drifted a delivery wide of the off stump. Stokes, seemingly confident in his assessment of the line, attempted a defensive stroke, but the ball gripped the surface and turned sharply back into the left-hander. The delivery bypassed the gap between bat and pad, crashing directly into the top of the off stump to end Stokes' stay at the crease for 14 runs.
Chahal dominates with four-wicket haul
The wicket of the England captain served as the highlight of a highly effective spell for the Indian spinner. Chahal concluded the innings with impressive figures of 4/36 from 15.2 overs, playing a central role in restricting Durham to a total of 205 all out in 56.2 overs. His control and ability to extract turn from the pitch proved difficult for the Durham lineup to navigate throughout the day.
While Stokes struggled to counter the spin, David Bedingham provided the most significant resistance for Durham, top-scoring with 81 runs from 91 deliveries. Mayank Agarwal added 36, and Alex Lees contributed 24 before also falling to Chahal. The dismissal of Stokes has drawn attention due to the batter's recent difficulties against Indian spin bowlers in the domestic competition. This follows a previous encounter where Stokes was dismissed by Sai Kishore while playing against Gloucestershire, further highlighting the challenges the all-rounder has faced against spin in the current County Championship season.
