Ben Stokes, the England captain, said they had to start bowling earlier than expected on Day 3 in Rajkot. He mentioned they didn’t execute well but highlighted the strong motivation to win the remaining two matches.
England suffered a substantial Test defeat, falling 434 runs behind India’s target. Their batting struggled on the third morning, collapsing from 224-2 to 319, putting them on the back foot for the rest of the match. India capitalized on their 126-run lead.
Stokes praised Ben Duckett’s impressive 153 in the first innings during the post-match presentation, expressing the team’s desire to emulate his performance and approach India’s total of 445. However, he acknowledged that their plans didn’t unfold as intended.
“Ben Duckett played an unbelievable innings. That was the tone we wanted to set throughout the innings. It was about identifying that opportunity and getting as close to India’s total.”
“We wanted to bowl yesterday but it was earlier than when we wanted. Sometimes gameplans don’t work and that was the case. Everyone’s got a perception and opinion about things, the people in the dressing room is what matters to us.”
Duckett’s quick century on Day 2 kept England competitive, but his dismissal for 153, along with quick dismissals of Root and Bairstow, shifted the momentum. The subsequent batters couldn’t contribute significantly, putting England in a challenging position.
“Down 1-2 in the series, it’s a fantastic chance for us”- Ben Stokes
Stokes emphasized moving on from this game and concentrating on winning the next two matches.
“1-2 down in the series and a great opportunity for us to come back and win the series. We leave this game behind and we know we have to win the next 2 games to win the series and that’s what we’ll look to do.”
The fourth Test is set to commence on February 23 in Ranchi.
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