Stokes does captaincy his way to set himself apart as England's greatest

It began with a note.

On July 6, 2020, Ben Stokes went over to fetch his England blazer for his first photoshoot as England captain. With Joe Root missing the first Test of the Covid-19 summer against West Indies for the birth of his second child, his vice-captain was stepping up.

As Stokes walked over to his peg in the home dressing room of the Rose Bowl to don this temporary addition to his wardrobe, he noticed a sheet of paper affixed to the hanger. It was a hand-written message from Root: "Do it your way".

Almost four years on, perhaps even Root is surprised at just how much Stokes heeded those words. This Thursday, for the 22nd time, Stokes will don that blazer as he walks out for the toss at Rajkot in his 100th Test. And of all the achievements, stanzas and mis-steps through an 11-year career, captaincy might be top of the list of things done Ben Stokes' way.

By the time Root eventually stepped down in April 2022, Stokes' story had been written - three times, actually - and turned into a feature-length documentary. Yet the last fifth of his career has been an addendum that requires a new, standalone volume altogether. Somehow, Stokes the captain is eclipsing Stokes the player.

It seems unfathomable, really. Ask anyone to name a memorable Stokes moment and it'll likely have come prior to the last 22 months. Therein lies the crux of his leadership. With his legacy already set in stone, captaincy was an exciting new challenge.

Throughout England's 14 victories, even the five defeats and one draw since he became full-time captain, there have been countless tactical quirks, flourishes and punts across a variety of scenarios. Only twice have they failed to take 10 wickets in an innings, managing 382 out of a possible 389.

There's a temptation to throw familiar platitudes at Stokes when assessing his leadership. In many ways, it has been brave, at times in your face, and he sure as hell has made things happen. But ultimately, what we have seen is an extension of what coaches and psychologists who have spent time with Stokes note as an unusual combination of a laterally-thinking mind and an almost childlike impatience.

Perhaps the best example of this is a lack of cookie-cutter field placings and the constant manipulations of angles. Like his head coach Brendon McCullum, as good a sounding board as any when it comes to captaincy, Stokes is an active captain.

"You look round and think, 'there was a fielder there last ball, and now he's somewhere else'," said Tom Hartley after winning England the first Test against India with 7 for 62 in the second innings at Hyderabad. "But you just put it out of your mind, and you just concentrate on bowling and he'll do the fielding for you."

On debut, Hartley was never really going to question Stokes tweaking his fields without his blessing. But as an avid viewer of Bazball, he knew this is just how things were done. And by not having to think about fields in conditions he was not used to, Hartley was able to concentrate solely on bowling India out, and in turn becoming the third debutant spinner to take five wickets in an innings under Stokes.

Of course, seasoned veterans - namely James Anderson and Stuart Broad - would have taken longer to get used to that. What helped is Stokes had already earned their faith in his tactical acumen long before. As Root's deputy, he was always pushing the envelope without ever treading on the captain's toes. And there were occasions in the last two years of Root's tenure when Stokes would openly chastise the senior men for not bowling full enough. When he came into the top job, Anderson and Broad knew what was expected of them.

Stokes set his stall out against New Zealand in that 2022 summer, using defensive fields while asking his bowlers to attack, something Shane Warne preached. He was particularly stern with Jack Leach, often refusing to push fielders back after boundaries. That being said, fielders down the ground were often set part-way - deep enough to entice shots over the top while giving the fielder a chance of taking a catch off any miscues. He occasionally puts a fielder straight behind the umpire to give them a chance of accessing both the off and on side, while also making batters think twice about hitting straight.

Ironically, the first two players of note to fall into this trap were Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell, both of whom had exceptional series with the bat. Blundell - on 106 - fell victim to a clear short-ball ploy in the second innings at Trent Bridge, with Stokes stationing himself as a floating backward square leg to take the catch. Mitchell, having bagged a third century in as many Tests in the first innings at Headingley, was coaxed into a mistimed charge down the ground off Leach - one of 10 wickets the left-arm spinner would take in the match - with Stokes again the man in situ.

Stokes has been back in those hotspot positions in India. His overdue knee operation has brought back his athleticism, allowing him to run out Ravindra Jadeja in the first Test, and take a back-peddling over-the-shoulder catch against Shreyas Iyer in the second - both in spectacular fashion. Even when his knee was at its worst last year, he regularly donned the helmet and went in close to the bat.

Most captains retreat when a batter is set, offering them the single ahead of the boundary in an attempt to keep them off strike. Some might have also refused to go with these halfway house fields fearing it looked a little too amateurish. Almost all would think themselves too important to put in harm's way.

Stokes, however, has an unpretentious quality to his leadership. No position is beneath him, no idea too ridiculous, and no call is taken on the grounds that it might make him look less foolish. Take, for instance, the field to Usman Khawaja during the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston last summer, when Stokes was one of the six fielders in front of the bat in an umbrella formation. Khawaja charged Ollie Robinson and lost his off stump, albeit with 141 to his name.

Without doubt, his most complete captain's performance to date came in Pakistan last winter, a series that pushed him to further tactical extremes. On surfaces with little to work with, his imagination ran wild and with it came a 3-0 series victory. England had only previously won two Tests away to Pakistan in their history.

A lack of seam movement meant the slip cordon was rarely populated, with Stokes employing leg slips and narrow fine legs instead, with quicks instructed to stay as straight as possible. Seven dismissals came via this route in the series - either caught leg slip, fine leg or down the leg side by the wicketkeeper.

The trick used against Khawaja was first aired at Rawalpindi - the most docile pitch of the three - eliciting errors from Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel as victory was sealed late on day five. Even the persistent short-ball barrage - Bodyline lite - was workshopped in Pakistan, before being used exclusively against Travis Head and restricting Australia's most proactive batter to a series average of 36.20.

It was perhaps against Australia that England got too funky. The first-day declaration in the first Test, Harry Brook bowling the 15th over of Australia's first innings in a bid to freak out Steve Smith - a plan concocted on a pre-series golfing trip to Scotland - and even the bouncers to Head whenever he was in early and the Dukes ball was doing all sorts. An engaging drawn series was littered with regret.

Typically, Stokes does not entertain that notion. But there look to have have been learnings taken from it and onto this tour of India: the gameplans have been relatively straightforward, particularly with a trio of young spinners in Hartley, Rehan Ahmed and Shoaib Bashir doing the bulk of the bowling in the first two Tests.

Speaking ahead of England's mid-series break to Abu Dhabi, McCullum put Stokes' ability to get the most from his inexperienced charges down to the fact he is "incredibly empathetic towards people". It is a crucial part to all this. For all Stokes' hair-brained schemes so far, he has been very persuasive about getting others to join him for the ride. This series has been about convincing some they are worthy of taking it.

We saw that with Hartley. A chastening opening day of Test cricket had him nursing figures of 0 for 63 from nine overs, after Yashasvi Jaiswal had unceremoniously greeted him to the format by hitting his first ball for six. Yet Stokes persisted with Hartley for 16 more overs in that first innings. Part of that was down to Jack Leach's knee injury, but most of it came from a desire to salvage his debutant for what was to come down the line.

Call it faith, goodwill or necessity - it was an act that has England all-square with India going into the final three Tests. Whatever England are able to garner by the end of this tour will be as much about Stokes' compassion as his nous.

"I think since becoming captain, one of the main things I enjoy is that every day I wake up and have a great opportunity to progress people's careers," said Stokes on the eve of his 100th cap. It is an admirable trait to hold dear, no doubt informed by time in the ranks and the tribulations of a career worthy of celebration before he became captain.

So many who have assumed English cricket's top job have simply wanted the status. Others fell short of either the standing or smarts to do it as intended. Even fewer had the boldness to regard it as a position that could effect change in a team's philosophy and the individuals under their care.

Meanwhile, here is Stokes, having never actively coveted the role but nailing all its most important aspects. In doing so, he is setting himself apart as the best to ever do it.