"We left nothing on the field" - Ben Stokes proud of his players despite loss on Day 4 of IND vs ENG 4th Test
England captain Ben Stokes feels they left no stone unturned on Day 4 of the fourth Test against India in Ranchi. Having lost a hard-fought contest, the 32-year-old said he takes pride in how well they took the hosts to their limits.
Set 192 for victory on a tricky surface, India had already shaved off 40 runs from the target on the previous day without losing a wicket. While England picked up five wickets on Day 4, Shubman Gill and Dhruv Jurel held their nerves to propel India to victory.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Stokes pointed out that the development of youngsters is the biggest positive for England from the series. He said:
"I am a massive Test cricket fan, the numbers of youngsters coming along in both teams sets things up nicely for the future. If you look yesterday, anything was possible, it was incredibly difficult against the spinners, we knew the pitch wouldn't get any better, as we saw today.
"You want to win series, you want to play and win cricket matches. The only thing I can say is we left nothing on the field, we've fought hard and I'm happy with that."
Although the visitors attained a 46-run lead after India's first innings, they failed to capitalize on it. India's spinners breathed fire in their second innings to skittle England out for 145.
"Part of my captaincy is allowing the young guys to revel" - Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes added that the result doesn't quite tell the entire picture of the match. He is thrilled to see inexperienced spinners put up a good effort. The Durham all-rounder stated:
"I think it was a great Test match. If you see the scoreboard, it'll say India won by 5 wickets, but it doesn't give credit to the way things unfolded. I can only be proud of my team, we've had some inexperienced spinners, but I'm proud of their efforts.
"Part of my captaincy is allowing the young guys to revel and the freedom to play in some difficult conditions in India."
The fifth and final Test in Dharamsala against India begins on March 7.