England captain Ben Stokes has refuted allegations that his team lacked ruthlessness in their Test series defeat in India.
After an impressive first victory, the visitors then lost three straight games to trail 1-3 with one match left. This marked England’s initial series defeat since Brendon McCullum took over midway through 2022.
The recent defeat in Ranchi was especially disheartening for England. Despite having a commanding 176-run first-innings lead with India down seven wickets, they could not capitalize.
When questioned during the news conference if England lacked ruthlessness, a clearly irritated Ben Stokes responded:
“Ruthlessness? What is it? How does it show itself? Everyone goes into the game with their best intentions; when it doesn’t pay off, people say we’re not ruthless, when it does, they say we are. I don’t really understand it. That’s from my point of view; we try to do what we think is the best way to win a game. It can be a throwaway comment when people say we’re not ruthless enough. What does it mean?”
Ben Stokes
India rebounded from 177/7 to record 307, while England slumped in their second innings from 110/3 to 145 all-out, costing them a series-leveling victory.
Before the India series, England have won 13 of their previous 18 Tests since Ben Stokes was appointed permanent Test captain.
“This is the first we have lost, but we will be involved in plenty more series going forward” – Ben Stokes
Despite the sadness of a maiden Test series defeat during his relationship with head coach Brendon McCullum, Ben Stokes stayed composed by looking ahead to the several forthcoming series in which the team would compete.
During the Bazball period, England won excellent home series against New Zealand and South Africa, followed by a 3-0 victory over Pakistan in Pakistan.
“Obviously we want to win every game we play, and win every series. This is the first we have lost, but we will be involved in plenty more series going forward. It’s always disappointing being on the losing team. Looking back at when we had our chance to bat yesterday, cricket is always skill against skill.”
Ben Stokes
With the current setback, England is seventh in the World Test Championship (WTC) standings, with a percentage point of less than 20.
Therefore, the deciding Test against India in Dharamsala on March 7 is critical for the side. They must climb the WTC table, although the series outcome remains decided.