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What's The Truth Behind Joe Root-Ben Stokes' Pinky Finger Celebration After Ranchi Century?

image-lsymqmqdJoe Root headlined Day 1 with a remarkable century in Ranchi (AP Photo)

Joe Root rescued England from a collapse with his sheer resistance on Day 1 of the Ranchi Test against India. He scored a century and initiated a pinky finger celebration, which has been a thing between him and English skipper Ben Stokes. But what’s the inside story behind it?

Ben Stokes took over as the captain of the England Test team during a challenging period in 2022. He succeeded Joe Root and brought a revolution with head coach Brendon McCullum. 

In the same year, England toured India, and in a must win Test, the visitors bowled out the hosts under 250 runs, with Stokes leading the charge with an impressive 4/33 figure. At the end of his spell, Stokes first initiated the pinky finger celebration.

On the following day, Joe Root continued the dominance and slammed his 28th Test century. He, too, followed his captain’s cue and raised his pinky finger, also breaching the milestone.


What's the story behind England's pinky finger celebration?

That being said, the idea of the unique celebration was planted into Ben Stokes’ head when he saw a Hollywood film called ‘Elvis,’ a biological drama based on legendary musician Elvis Presley. Austin Butler played the lead, and the movie was a massive hit at the box office.

It is largely believed that Stoked, after watching the movie a night before the Test match against India, got the idea of the new trend and thus conveyed the same to his teammates in the dressing room.

Apparently, Stokes preached the importance of entertainment to his teammates and suggested using the pinky finger celebration to change the team’s identity as ‘Rockstars.’

Joe Root found the idea amusing and chose to follow his captain’s cue. Meanwhile, after his latest achievement against India in Ranchi, Joe Root produced a unique celebration and dedicated it to his English skipper, Ben Stokes as the duo shared a wholesome moment.