Ben Stokes dedicates match-winning ton vs Mumbai to ailing father with symbolic gesture

Rising up to the occasion, English all-rounder Ben Stokes showed the world yet again why he was the best in business on Sunday. In a do-or-die match for Rajasthan, Stokes carried his team over the line with a magnificent century. After struggling initially and failing to make an impact leaving Rajasthan in the bottom half of the points table, Stokes made it count when it mattered the most to keep the franchise's hopes of qualifying. 

Stokes dedicates century to ailing father

After notching up his match-winning century, Stokes stood tall holding out his hand with an inward bent middle-finger. The gesture was nothing but a tribute to his ailing father whom he had to leave in New Zealand as the IPL got underway. The all-rounder had to opt-out of the Pakistan series earlier to remain by his father's side and as Stokes reached the monumental target, he remembered his father dedicating his performance to him.

READ | IPL 2020: Sachin Tendulkar Lauds Ben Stokes For His Impactful Century Against Mumbai

The symbolic gesture, which Ben Stokes had made earlier during his crucial knock against South Africa in January, symbolises his father - Ged Stokes' struggles. The senior Stokes had to get his middle-finger amputated in an attempt to prolong his career in rugby. 

Chasing a mammoth total of 196, Ben Stokes partnered with Sanju Samson to take their side over the line on Sunday night. The two shared a stellar 152-run partnership to comfortably chase down Mumbai's total. The star cricketer was awarded the 'Player of the Match' award for his brilliant innings of 107 from just 60 deliveries. 

READ | IPL 2020: 'Sort Of Bittersweet' Says Stokes On His Match-winning Century Against Mumbai

Ben Stokes termed his match-winning century against Mumbai as 'bittersweet' after Rajasthan comprehensively beat the title-holders by 8 wickets at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. "Sort of bittersweet to be honest. It took so long to get one for the team. I would have preferred to get this form two or three games before when we weren't relying on other results to get us through to the qualifiers. It's always nice to get back to form. We needed a result from today, so - it's a good victory," he said.