This time they were more skilled than we were: Stokes

The captain of England, Ben Stokes, Tom Hartley praised the Indian spin combination of R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav for making the most of the conditions and making sure his team’s hitters were tested after India won by five wickets in Ranchi to take a commanding three-match lead. In the Test match, the trio of Indian spinners claimed 15 out of the 20 English wickets.

 

Being on the losing team is always disappointing, as Stokes Belive Tom Hartley acknowledged on Sunday. “It’s clear from yesterday’s batting opportunity that skill always wins in cricket. The conditions we were put in against Ashwin, Jadeja, and Kuldeep were quite difficult. In such circumstances, any side would struggle to rotate the strike and keep the scoreboard ticking over when India had a sniff. They deserve a great deal of credit for the manner they bowled in extremely favorable circumstances. They were more skilled today than they were yesterday.”

Dhruv Jurel, in his second Test match

After scoring 353 runs in the first innings and limiting the hosts to 177 for 7, England had India bowled out. But Dhruv Jurel, in his second Test match, put an end to the visitors’ chances with a brilliant ninety-nine. He had the company of Nos. 9, 10, and 11, none of whom is particularly skilled with the bat. England led by 46 runs after the first inning but the second and collapsed for 145 on Day 3.

Stokes, meanwhile, is unwilling to place all the blame on the team’s batting collapse in the second innings. “When something doesn’t work out, you may say it was all a wasted opportunity, but in my opinion, the way India’s spinners bowled throughout that extremely important part of the match deserves a lot of praise. It was clear that they saw an opportunity to really apply pressure to us. You know you’re going to have competition when you have three elite spinners working in such conditions. The game was that part yesterday after lunch. However, we never lost interest in the match as we attempted to bowl India out for 190 on a pitch that was providing enough of support.”

England chose to bat more cautiously

In contrast to the usual Bazball style, England chose to bat more cautiously in the second innings. A large portion of that was seen in the first innings itself, when England’s batting attack was spearheaded by Joe Root, who adopted a more traditional approach and hit a century. It was the lowest scoring rate for England since Stokes and McCullum took charge of the Test team. Stokes said that the decision was deliberate and was not influenced by England’s reluctance to attack simply because the surface was favouring the spinners.

Nothing is insurmountable, I would not assert. But we could not function as we would have liked. One thing, though, is that we don’t instruct people on how to play outside. We empower individuals to make decisions based on their own judgment and judgment. Themselves but also for the team, in any given circumstance. Yesterday was an extremely difficult day.

“I thought Foakes did a great job of reading the scenario and making sure the scoreboard ran as long as possible since every run would matter. We clearly would have preferred more, but as the game went on, we had more opportunities to take advantage of a pitch that was only going to get harder to hit.”

Under the leadership of Stokes and McCullum | Tom Hartley

Under the leadership of Stokes and McCullum, England has lost its first Test series. During the series, England’s overly aggressive approach occasionally backfired and sparked a backlash. One such instance was Joe Root’s dismissal on the third day of the Rajkot Test. When he misjudged a reverse scoop to the slip fielder. Stokes thinks there isn’t much reason to change the way the team plays cricket, even after the loss, given that it has not only brought them great success thus far but has also delighted fans.

“It will be stated that we have dropped our opening series. That statement by itself doesn’t really bother me. It goes without saying that we aim to win every match we play and every series. Although this is the first series we have lost, there will be many more in the future. Many of the talking points come after the events have occurred. I have accepted that, and the team has accepted it as well.
But we play in a really straightforward manner. Because everything can be taken away from you with a single click. Why not take advantage of every chance you get to play and make sure you’re having fun regardless of the circumstances? Since your career is brief, why not make the most of it?

He also saved his best praise for the spin tandem of Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir.Who both made their Test debuts in this series and contributed significantly at various points in both wins and losses.

“There were many unanswered questions regarding the two selections (Tom Hartley and Bashir) even before a ball was bowled this series. However, Tom has participated in every game. Shoaib had a strong debut, but I believe he has excelled in this one. When this tour is over, they’ll be able to walk away with their heads held high. Going forward, we as an England team have more exciting talent, which is fantastic news for English cricket.