England captain Ben Stokes spoke about the first Test victory against India in Hyderabad. He termed the victory at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium as the team’s biggest triumph since he took over the leadership of the team.
Bazball has really come to India and has been successful so far. Ben Stokes & Co started the five-match Test series against India on a resounding note by defeating dominant India at home by 28 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
During the first two days no one gave England a chance to win because they were down and had conceded a 190-run lead. However, they turned things around remarkably well in the second inning and dominated Day 3 and Day 4 to win the game.
From conceding a lead of 190 to setting a target of 231 runs, England’s Bazball approach made India’s bowlers look clueless. The spinners in particular could not make the impact as they usually do and the reason behind this was the brilliant 196 runs with the bat of Ollie Pope.
He single-handedly took India’s game with the bat before debutant Tom Hartley picked 7 wickets to conclude the Indian innings. They bowled out the hosts by just 202 runs while defending 231 and cruised to a comfortable 28-run victory.
Ben Stokes, while talking about the win, revealed how he kept an eye on Rohit Sharma to see how the Indian captain prepared the pitches and then implemented it. He praised the efforts of Ollie Pope and Tom Hartley and said he is excited for everyone. In the post-match presentation, he explained:
“Since I took over the captaincy, we have had many fantastic moments as a team. We’ve had a lot of great wins and been a part of some amazing games. Where we are and who we’re playing, this win is probably, 100% definitely, our biggest win. It’s the first time I come here as captain. I am a great observer of the game.
“I learned a lot from our first innings on the field. I watched how the Indian spinners operated, how Rohit set the field and tried to incorporate a lot of that into our innings. Absolutely excited for everyone. Tom Hartley on debut got nine wickets, Ollie Pope returned after his shoulder surgery, an incredible effort from everyone.
“Tom came into the team for the first time. He has been given a lot of confidence. He was willing to give him longer spells no matter what because he knew he had to come back to him at some point. “
I’m not afraid of failure: Ben Stokes after winning the Hyderabad test against India
Ben Stokes also showed confidence in the young spinners and said he will back everyone who has been selected. The England captain was amazed by Ollie Pope’s innings and hailed it as the best innings by an England batsman in the subcontinent.
Ben Stokes further made a bold statement, saying that he is not afraid of failure and that all he does is encourage the players on the team. He elaborated:
“We fully support the people who have been selected. I have been fortunate to play many Test matches in the subcontinent. Same with Joe Root, I’ve seen some pretty special innings from him. But the situation we found ourselves in, coming in at number 3, the shots he played, 190 on such a difficult wicket, he was able to manipulate the pitch with sweeps and reverse sweeps, the way he was able to rotate the field. strike,
I think it is the best innings that an English batsman has ever played in the subcontinent. If you lose, you wake up in the morning, you’re still having a good chance at life, you’re still breathing, you’ve got another four games after this. “I’m not afraid of failure, the only thing I want is to try to encourage whoever is lucky enough to be on this team.”
The second Test match between India and England will be played on February 2 in Vizag. The visitors would hope to build on the momentum in the second game and take a 2-0 lead.