Despite the series loss, England captain Ben Stokes highlighted numerous positives in their ongoing India tour. He emphasized the unwavering commitment of every player and denied any backward strides. While they secured an early victory in Hyderabad, the team faced comprehensive defeats in the subsequent three Tests, ultimately conceding the series.
Discussing the fifth Test in Dharamsala on Tuesday, Stokes mentioned that the tour witnessed progress from several players. According to BBC Sport, he stated:
“Just because the scoreline at the moment reads 3-1, it doesn’t mean that we’ve gone backwards. There are lots of these things that we have massively progressed on as a team whilst out on this tour. The individuals and the team have massively evolved on this tour.”
“The way in which everyone committed to becoming a better version of themselves from when we last played was quite obvious; everyone’s fitter and it was just a really different feel around how we operated from the summer before.”
Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley have justified their selections, with Hartley claiming seven wickets in Hyderabad’s fourth innings, and Bashir securing a fifer in Ranchi’s first innings and eight wickets in the match.
“He deserves everything that gets spoken about him” – Ben Stokes views on Jonny Bairstow
Talking about Jonny Bairstow’s upcoming 100th Test for England, Stokes mentioned that Bairstow has invited his whole family to watch the match. Stokes shared this information as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo:
“This is probably going to be more of an emotional thing for Jonny than it ever was for me. I don’t need to go into details as to why about the whole family.”
”He’s got his mam, sister, partner, little baby boy and some friends here. He deserves everything that gets spoken about him in the build-up to the game and throughout the week as well.”
Bairstow is set to become the 17th player to reach 100 Test appearances for England. The tourists must deliver an outstanding performance to prevent India from winning in Dharamsala.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.