Ben Stokes shared his honest views after India outplayed England in the Test series.
England made a dream start with skipper Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum in India as the visitors defeated Rohit Sharma and Co. at Hyderabad. Despite taking a healthy lead over the Rahul Dravid-coached side, England’s Bazeballers failed to stop the Indian juggernaut in the next three Test matches. Changing England’s fortunes with their ultra-attacking Bazball approach, the visitors were undefeated in a Test series since skipper Stokes and coach McCullum took charge in 2022.
England’s captain Ben Stokes, addresses a press conference(AFP)
However, England’s Bazball met its match in India as the hosts bounced back in the five-match by winning back-to-back three matches. Yashasvi Jaiswal’s double century and bowling masterclass from Jasprit Bumrah sealed a massive 106-run win over India in the 2nd Test at Visakhapatnam. England’s hyper-attacking Bazball came under intense scrutiny after India humiliated Stokes and Co. at Rajkot. England suffered its biggest defeat (in terms of runs) since 1934 in the 3rd Test. Extending India’s winning run, youngsters Shubman Gill and Dhruv Jurel fired Rohit and Co. to a series-clinching five-wicket win in the Ranchi Test on Monday.
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‘England didn’t have a chance in hell’
After the depleted Indian side managed to decimate England’s Bazballers, skipper Stokes opined that the visitors put up a fight despite not having “a chance in hell of competing” with the hosts. “3-1 doesn’t look great, but the way in which we’ve come at India is what I’m most proud of,” Stokes told British media. “We didn’t have a chance in hell of even competing with India. But even today(Monday), that wasn’t an easy win for India, and I think they would admit that,” he added.
India record 17th straight series win at home
India extended its dominance at home by sealing the 17th straight series as hosts in the longest format of the game. India last lost a series at home when Alastair Cook guided the England side to a 2-1 win over the Asian giants in the 2012-13 season. Team India has won 39 out of 50 Tests in their backyard. “This young, inexperienced team has been successful over the past two years, but coming to India is a completely different beast, something that this team has not been exposed to. The way in which we have reacted to everything, even being on the wrong end of three results, is something I’m incredibly proud of. I’m very proud of the way every player has thrown everything at India. No one has ever taken a backward step,” Stokes added.
