"Doesn't mean that we've gone backwards" - Ben Stokes insists players have evolved despite losing IND vs ENG Test series
England captain Ben Stokes asserted that they have plenty of positives to take from their ongoing tour of India despite the series loss. The 32-year-old insisted that every player has been fully committed and that they haven't gone backwards.
Stokes' men took an early lead in the series, winning the first Test in Hyderabad by 28 runs. However, the tourists went on to lose the remaining three Tests comprehensively to concede the series.
Speaking on Tuesday ahead of the fifth Test in Dharamsala, Stokes said the tour has seen a handful of players' progress. As quoted by BBC Sport, he said:
"Just because the scoreline at the moment reads 3-1, it doesn't mean that we've gone backwards. There are lots of these things that we have massively progressed on as a team whilst out on this tour. The individuals and the team have massively evolved on this tour. The way in which everyone committed to becoming a better version of themselves from when we last played was quite obvious; everyone's fitter and it was just a really different feel around how we operated from the summer before."
The likes of Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley have done justice to their selections. Hartley took seven wickets in the fourth innings in Hyderabad. Bashir, meanwhile, picked up a fifer in the first innings in Ranchi and eight in the match.
"He deserves everything that gets spoken about him" - Ben Stokes on Jonny Bairstow
Reflecting on Jonny Bairstow ahead of his 100th Test for England, Stokes stated that the wicketkeeper-batter has called his entire family to watch the match. He stated, as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo:
"This is probably going to be more of an emotional thing for Jonny than it ever was for me. I don't need to go into details as to why about the whole family. He's got his mam, sister, partner, little baby boy and some friends here. He deserves everything that gets spoken about him in the build-up to the game and throughout the week as well."
Bairstow will be the 17th player to make 100 Test appearances for England. The tourists will need a sparkling performance if they are to stop India from winning in Dharamsala.