England Vow to Bounce Back After India Rout
England were throughly outplayed by India when the latter didn’t have Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami. They lost KL Rahul after first test, Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah didn’t play one match each. India had to change its wicket-keeper in mid-series.
However, Ben Stokes still feels that were not beaten to a lifeless state but only outplayed by a strong team in home conditions. That’s why he has warned critics to underestimate his team “at their own peril” after a crushing series defeat in India.
England slumped to a heavy innings-and-64-run loss in the final Test in Dharamsala, sealing a 4-1 series defeat – their first under Stokes’ leadership. The loss follows a string of underwhelming results, with England winning just three of their last 12 matches.
“We will use this as inspiration to become a better team,” Stokes said in a post-match interview. “That’s the mentality we have.”
The all-rounder acknowledged the team’s struggles, but vowed to learn and improve. “I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs, that’s what playing Test cricket is about,” he said. “I’ll come away from this tour and work even harder for the summer ahead.”
India Beat England after Being 1-0 down in the series
England managed to win the first test match ay Hyderabad after Ollie Pope pulled out monumental batting performance. It was only an aberration because it was India’s mistakes more than England’s effort to win the match. The only thing that favoured England in that match was the case that they played with “Bazball” mindset effectively.
Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum, whose attacking brand of cricket has been dubbed “Bazball,” enjoyed a honeymoon period after taking charge in 2022. They won 10 of their first 11 Tests, but their fortunes have since dwindled.
“We have been outplayed by the better team,” admitted Stokes. “We’re big enough to say that. Cricket is a tough game, but we will come back stronger.”
Stokes defended the team’s aggressive approach. “The media use the term Bazball, but for us it’s about constant improvement,” he explained. “Even in defeat, Bazball should inspire us to be better players.”
England’s batting woes were exposed in Dharamsala. Needing 259 runs to avoid an innings defeat, they collapsed to 113-6, with several batsmen falling to rash strokes against spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.
“The lads go out with plans, but taking risks can backfire,” Stokes conceded. “We’ll learn from this and come back fighting.”
Ben Stokes averaged only 17 with the bat when playing as a pure batter. After the conclusion of third match, he remarked, “3-2 sounds good, betting on England’s comeback in full confidence.”
