After facing a massive 336-run defeat to India in the second Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Test at Edgbaston, England captain Ben Stokes said that as the game got deeper, the pitch started to help the visitors more than the hosts.
Stokes said in the post-match presentation ceremony, “It was a tough one. Having a team 200-5, you feel you’re in a commanding position. As the game got deeper, it turned into a wicket that suited India more than us.”
He then opined on two situations where England lost the match, as they conceded a huge 180-run lead to India and allowed their batters, including captain Shubman Gill, to make massive scores as well.
“Two moments – having them 200-5 and not being able to burst them open after a good start with the ball. And being 80-5. It was going to be tough to scrape it back from there. You look back at 200-5. If we were able to burst them open quicker, things could have been different,” he stated.
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He stated, “I wouldn’t say it’s a concern. We ran in, we tried everything, we changed plans, but when a team’s on top of you – and India are a class team – it’s hard to change the momentum. Shubman Gill had an unbelievable performance. It’s always tough. When you spend time out in the field, your body and mind are tired. It’s a difficult position to find yourself in, batting at the end of the day. We’re going to be in that position again and it’s up to us to get the best out of the position.”
However, England had a positive too in the form of wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith, who smashed an unbeaten 184 and 88 in both innings as well.
“Jamie’s been incredible since he came into the team. He’s been exceptional with the bat. He goes under the radar with his wicketkeeping. It just shows that he stuck to his guns and played his natural game and the way him and Harry wrestled the momentum back towards us was a very special part of the game to watch,” he concluded. “There’s a couple of days to take note of that. We’ll reassess where everything’s at.”
