England captain Ben Stokes candidly admitted that his team’s inability to capitalize on India’s vulnerable position in the first innings was a significant turning point in their commanding 336-run defeat at Edgbaston. He lamented the missed opportunity to break through when India were teetering at 211 for 5, a moment he believes could have drastically altered the match’s trajectory.
Speaking after the loss, Ben Stokes pinpointed two critical junctures. “Tough one. Two moments. Having them at 200/5 and not being able to burst them open. And then being 80/5 in our reply to India’s big first innings, there is obviously going to be tough to be able to scrape it back from there,” he reflected. He further observed that as the game wore on, the pitch conditions began to favor the visitors. “You look back at the start of the game, 200/5, if we were able to gets some wickets quicker, things could have been a little different. As the game got deeper and deeper, it sort of turned into a wicket, probably suited India more than us to be honest. Being 80/5 in reply to India’s big first innings total is obviously going to be tough from there,” he added.
England’s own struggles with the bat in their first innings, where they found themselves reeling at 84 for 5, compounded their difficulties. “We ran in and tried everything, we changed plans and when a team is on top of you, obviously India is a class team,” Stokes stated.
He acknowledged the challenge of regaining control against a formidable opponent, emphasizing the individual brilliance of India’s players. “It’s always very hard to wrestle back when the opposition is full of world-class performers. Shubman has had an unbelievable game with the bat. It is always tough, when you do spend time out in the field, your body is tired and mind is tired.”
Time to celebrate!
