After England’s 106-run defeat in the second Test against India, captain Ben Stokes expressed confidence in his team’s ability to chase down a challenging target of 399 on a demanding Visakhapatnam pitch. Despite the loss, Stokes emphasized the team’s commitment to their ultra-aggressive ‘Bazball’ style of play, noting that they thrive under scoreboard pressure.
We had full belief in ourselves that we could chase that down. The way we have gone about taking on challenges like that is what we are about,
Stokes remarked during the post-match presentation ceremony.
In moments like that, when you have scoreboard pressure, that is when we get the best out of ourselves as individuals,
he added.
Stokes praised the team’s overall performance, acknowledging the difficulty of the task at hand. While England fell short in the chase, the skipper refrained from offering advice on their approach, stating,
There is no suggestion [from me] on how to go out and play. We knew there was a task ahead, knew there was 330 (332) to get, everybody in that dressing room was a quality player.
The captain lauded the spin trio of Rehan Ahmed, debutants Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley, highlighting their maturity and skill in handling the pressure of international cricket.
It wasn’t a challenge (to captain them). I absolutely loved it. To look at Tom, Bash, and Rehan with three matches between them and watch them put on a performance yesterday was great. They showed a lot of maturity, a lot of skill,
Stokes remarked.
Stokes also commended the veteran pace bowler James Anderson for his five-wicket haul in the match and acknowledged the impact of Indian star Jasprit Bumrah, who claimed nine wickets and was awarded the Man of the Match. He praised both bowlers, stating:
Jimmy is amazing. You look at Jimmy and Jasprit Bumrah, two great fast bowlers. Even when you are in the opposition, you put your hand up (for Bumrah). Jimmy is that player for us.
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