Trisha Ghosal in Birmingham
England couldn’t prise India open when it mattered, and from there, the visitors ran away with the game. A mammoth first-innings total, seamers who hunted relentlessly with the new ball, and moments of pure class from Shubman Gill made sure England were always chasing. Stokes fronted up after the loss with trademark honesty and resilience — crediting the opposition, but also refusing to let this dent England’s long-term belief.
On what went wrong
“You can’t win a Test if you don’t take 20 wickets,” Stokes admitted. “India is full of world-class players. Shubman batted exceptionally well, Jadeja got runs, and from 200/5, we just couldn’t blast them open. That made the difference.”
Stokes acknowledged that England’s bowlers tried hard but couldn’t break through. “As the game got deeper, it didn’t play out the way we wanted. No one knows what the wicket is going to do, but credit to India — they did the basics better.”
On Shubman Gill and India’s bowlers
“He’s had some game. We planned to attack his stumps, get him LBW, but he’s played amazingly well,” Stokes said. “Akash Deep exposed that crack — incredibly skilful and clever with his angles.”
On whether Jofra Archer is playing at Lord’s
“Everyone’s in consideration,” said Stokes cautiously. “We’ll see how the quicks pull up in the next two days.”
On moving forward to Lord’s
“We’ve had some unbelievable wins and tough defeats. This team knows how to bounce back,” Stokes said. “After Headingley, we celebrated — but we knew there were four more to go. We’ll wipe this under the carpet. Lord’s is coming quick. Stay true to our fundamentals, stay level-headed — that’s our focus.”
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