Stokes: ‘Undoubtedly our best triumph since I’ve been captain’
Ben Stokes described England’s unlikely turnaround win against India in Hyderabad as their “greatest triumph” since he took over as captain, and labelled Ollie Pope‘s second-innings 196 “the greatest innings that has ever been played in the subcontinent by an English batsman”.
England have gained 14 of their 19 Tests since Stokes took over as captain in May 2022, a streak that has included assertion victories over New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan and Australia. But Stokes believes that this 28-run win – away from dwelling, in opposition to a aspect that has dominated in their very own situations for a decade – is one of the best of the lot.
“Since I’ve taken the captaincy on, we’ve had a lot of fantastic moments as a team,” Stokes stated. “We’ve had a lot of great victories, we’ve been involved in some amazing games. But I think [with] where we are and who we’re playing against, this victory is 100%, definitely our greatest triumph since I’ve been captain.”
England’s match-winner on the fourth day was Tom Hartley, the debutant left-arm spinner, who added 34 in an 80-run partnership with Pope earlier than working via India’s batting line-up with 7 for 62. It marked a major transformation from the mauling he suffered on the primary night, when he bowled 9 wicketless overs that value 63.
“The gameplan there is, we’re out here for a long tour and this is going to be a long game, so I was willing to give him the longer spell regardless of what had happened because I knew I was going to have to turn back to him at some point throughout this Test match,” Stokes stated. “Allowing him to have the longer spell at the start was almost justification to say: ‘You know, what I was telling you before the game started is going to happen.’
“Whether or not that was the explanation to say he acquired seven wickets and gained us the sport this innings, who is aware of? But that was the thought course of behind it and giving the folks we choose full backing and never going again on the phrases that we communicate.”
“It’s unbelievable,” Hartley stated. “It’s not going to sink in for a while. I’m just over the moon, to be honest.” Asked for his ideas after England’s first innings, he joked: “‘This is hard work!’ It was really tough out there. It didn’t spin quite as much as we thought, but testament to the coaches, Stokesy, and Baz [Brendon McCullum]. They really got around me and I lost no confidence, really. And I was able to come out and do my best out here.
“It’s unbelievable in that dressing room. We can have an amazing day, we will have a very unhealthy day: it’s the similar vibe in there. They’re all the time ultra-positive. There’s by no means a boring second, to be sincere. I’m all the time wanting round and pondering, ‘Is there a fielder there? There was one there final ball.’ But that is simply the Stokes means and we have all purchased into it. We’ve come out on high at the moment, so it is positively working.”
Stokes said that he had learned from England’s first innings by watching Rohit Sharma’s captaincy of India’s three spinners: R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. “It’s my first time popping out right here and being answerable for a crew and being a captain in these situations,” he said. “I’m not going to lie – I really might not appear it – however I’m an amazing observer of the sport. I discovered so much from our first innings within the area.
“I watched a lot of how the Indian spinners operate in the field and the fields that Rohit set, and tried to take a lot of that into our innings here when we obviously had to bowl them out. I’m thrilled for everyone involved… it’s been an incredible effort by everyone, and even the people who might not necessarily have the rewards. I think everyone’s contributed to a great win.”
Stokes reserved particular reward for Pope, who had not performed since July following shoulder surgical procedure and managed 153 runs in eight innings on England’s 2021 tour of India. “I’ve been lucky enough to play a lot of Test matches in the subcontinent with a certain Joe Root, and I’ve seen some pretty special innings from himself.
“But I feel the scenario we discovered ourselves in, coming in at No. 3, a few of the photographs that we have seen, simply that entire innings, 190 on such a troublesome wicket. He was in a position to manipulate the sector together with his sweep photographs – reverse sweeps, regular sweeps – and the best way he was in a position to rotate the strike… for me, I feel that is the best innings that is ever been performed within the subcontinent by an English batsman.”