England skipper Ben Stokes was extremely pleased with his side’s dominant seven-wicket win in the Edgbaston Test against India, which further highlights the success of their refreshingly positive brand of Test cricket.
England completed their 378-run chase in just 76.4 overs with seven wickets remaining against India at Edgbaston to achieve their highest ever successful run-chase in Test cricket history. The chief architects were Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow, with the Yorkshire pair adding an unbeaten 269 for the fourth wicket, with both scoring unbeaten hundreds.
The hosts had gunned down three successive run-chases in excess of 275 last month and have now further extended the one-of-its-kind sequence in Test cricket.
It has been a glorious start for England under the new captain Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum, with the pair keen to redefine Test cricket in the country.
“When the lads play like this, it makes my job easier. When you have clarity like we have in the dressing room, it makes chasing totals like this easier. 378 would have been scary five weeks ago, but now it’s all good.
“Jonny and Root will get all the credit, but the precedent was set up by the way the openers played against Bumrah and Shami with the new ball. It is all about taking wickets and taking ten wickets,”
said Stokes after the game, as per Sky Sports.
The all-rounder also reiterated that his team will stick to the free-flowing brand of cricket, and focus on making things happen, even if that means deviating from the traditional approach.
“We are trying to rewrite how Test cricket is played in England. All our plans from the last four-five weeks are what we want to take ahead. Bowling on the top of off isn’t important, it is all about taking ten wickets. We know that we want to give some new life to Test cricket.
The support we received has been fantastic in the short time that we’ve been around. Inspiring the next generation is what we want to do. We want to bring in new fans and want to leave a mark on Test cricket.”
Jasprit Bumrah, India’s captain for the Test, had his moments with both bat and ball, including a record 35-run over against Stuart Broad. In terms of the game’s progression, the speedster felt that India’s lower-order collapse on Day 4 helped England seize the advantage.
“I won’t go that far ahead (of calling myself an all-rounder). That’s the beauty of Test cricket, even if you have three good days. We fell short with the bat yesterday and that is where we let the opposition in to let the match slip away from us,”
noted Bumrah.
He also lauded Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja, both of whom scored hundreds to revive India from 98/5 to an eventual 416-run total in the first innings.
Bumrah led India for the first time in the absence of Rohit Sharma, who was tested positive for COVID-19 before the start of the match. The 28-year-old was grateful for the opportunity presented.
“The captaincy future is not what I get to decide. I like the responsibility. It was a good challenge, a new challenge. It was an honour to lead the team and a great experience.”
The teams will now face off in three T20Is and as many ODIs, with the first T20I to be played at The Rose Bowl, Southampton on July 7.
