Outplayed by Team India in the five-match Test series on Saturday, England skipper Ben Stokes had full admiration for the bench strength of the hosts. Rohit Sharma's Team India thrashed England by an innings and 64 runs in the fifth and final Test of the bilateral series at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala. Indian skipper Rohit (103) and Shubman Gill (103) slammed centuries in a match where veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin recorded his 100th Test appearance as Virat Kohli-less Team India sealed a comfortable 4-1 series triumph over Ben Stokes' men.
After taking an early lead over India in the five-match series, England suffered back-to-back defeats to the hosts in the third edition of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC). The 4-1 drubbing turned out to be Stokes' first series defeat since becoming the leader of the England Test side in 2022. Speaking to reporters after the Dharamsala Test, Stokes admitted that England were outplayed by the better team in the series.
'Don't write us off': Stokes after India series
"We have been outplayed by the better team of the series...When you look at the series as a whole, in those small moments we haven't been able to keep it going," Stokes said. Stokes asserted that he was disappointed with his performances in the India Test series. However, Stokes warned England's critics to avoid writing off his side even after the heavy series defeat to India. "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," Stokes added.
'Bashir and Hartley have been outstanding'
{{/usCountry}}"We have been outplayed by the better team of the series...When you look at the series as a whole, in those small moments we haven't been able to keep it going," Stokes said. Stokes asserted that he was disappointed with his performances in the India Test series. However, Stokes warned England's critics to avoid writing off his side even after the heavy series defeat to India. "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," Stokes added.
'Bashir and Hartley have been outstanding'
{{/usCountry}}For the visitors, Zak Crawley proved to be England's standout batter with 407 runs against India. He was followed by Ben Duckett (343), Joe Root (320) and Ollie Pope (315). England spinners Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir chipped in with 39 wickets in the series. The duo operated in the absence of England's senior spinner, Jack Leach, who was ruled out of the series in the Hyderabad opener. "Looking at the positives we can take away from this series are Zak and Ben Duckett showing that consistency that they did at the top of the order for us over the summer. Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley have been outstanding," Stokes concluded.