Stokes went full against the newly arrived Sarfaraz Khan on the third ball of the 66th over and the rookie did not shy away from driving it down the ground with aplomb. However, he failed to get the control he wanted and the red cherry flew at shin height back towards Stokes who could not get down quickly enough to grab on to the return catch. Lying prone on the playing surface, the realization of how big the opportunity could have been immediately dawned on the veteran as he slapped the pitch several times in a fit of rage before holding his face in hands, evidently gutted by letting his team down.

Once he had managed to recover from the setback and begin the trot back to his bowling mark, the no-ball sirens blazed with the sound of relief, and the umpire offered confirmation that the bowler had overstepped by jutting out his left hand. The cameras caught an immediate change in expression on Stokes' face as he brought his hands together and peered at the heavens to offer his thanks for being rid of the guilt, provoking a flurry of hilarious reactions on social media.

Haha that was epic, Stokes fuming that it was a dropped catch. The umpire said it's a no ball, Stokes was like thank God I dropped it 🤣#INDvENG #CricketTwitter

— Pranav Nair (@leg_gully) March 8, 2024

No ball!

Very interesting reaction from Stokes after that no-ball- he regrets dropping a catch, but sigh a relief for bowling a no ball... But Stokes ne kiya hai toh sahi hi hoga.

— Rohit Yadav (@cricrohit) March 8, 2024

Yes!

Ben Stokes puts catch down on his own bowling

anyway no ball

— ABHIJIT NAIR 🏏🇦🇺 (@Rahul_bill) March 8, 2024

Magician!