Write us off at your own peril: England captain Stokes after Test series loss against India

Despite taking a 1-0 lead in the series in Hyderabad, England ended up losing the five-Test series 4-1, but Stokes looked at the positives.

England Captain Ben Stokes being greeted by teammates after the wicket of Indian Captain Rohit Sharma on the second day of the final test match at HPCA Ground in Dharamshala on March 08, 2024. | Photo Credit: R V Moorthy / The Hindu

India has decimated Bazball over the past six weeks, but England captain Ben Stokes believes one should write him and his team off at their peril.

Despite taking a 1-0 lead in the series in Hyderabad, England ended up losing the five-Test series 4-1, but Stokes looked at the positives. “There have been two styles of play from both teams. One thing India has done is stay true to what makes them successful. We have done that but not been able to execute how we’d like to,” Stokes said on Saturday.

“With the ball, we took two early wickets in that session, two blokes on a 100, but they managed to build a partnership that carried on the momentum... [and] we didn’t manage to make another indent…”

Despite having some of the biggest names in its ranks, England failed to bounce back in the series. “It’s making sure we are staying true to ourselves as players and as a team. It’s knowing that sometimes taking risks brings your downfall, but when there’s a reason behind taking these risks that don’t quite work out, that is fine,” Stokes added.

“It is a tough game, cricket, and it can eat you up, but this tour in particular, there is always one that can lead you astray or make you a better player. I have done a lot of India tours now. I am obviously disappointed with my performance for the team, but write this team off, write me off at your own peril…”

Dravid’s assessment

India coach Rahul Dravid, too, had his assessment about the Indian team. “We dominated this Test match. We were in control here all the way through, but the first four Tests - there were periods in the game when they put us under a little bit of pressure,” Dravid said.

There were particular days, particularly the third day in Rajkot and the third day in Ranchi when England was on the ascendancy in the morning. However, in the end, India had the last laugh on both occasions.

“The heartening thing for me was how well our experienced players stepped up in those situations. England came here with an experienced batting line-up. Their inexperience was in bowling. Their experience was in the batting, and they had the ascendancy with the bat in hand at that point of time, and we needed to respond,” the India head coach added.

“Our experience was in bowling, and we won those contests. Our experience and nous in those moments triumphed over their experience and that was a critical part of the series…”