Ben Stokes and co ‘are trying to rewrite how Test cricket is played in England’

England skipper Ben Stokes hailed Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow’s performances in the fifth Test against India and said the team is “trying to rewrite how Test cricket is played in England.”

England chased 378 half an hour before lunch on Day 5 at Edgbaston, defeating India by 7 wickets. Root and Bairstow remained unbeaten on 142 and 114 respectively. With a 269-run partnership at more than 5 runs per over, both hitters controlled India’s pace threat of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj.

Also Read: Joe Root, with 28th Test century, passes Virat Kohli, Steve Smith’s tally

“When the lads play like this, it makes my job easier. When you have clarity like we have in the dressing room, it makes chasing totals like this easier. 378 would have been scary five weeks ago, but now it’s all good. Jonny and Root will get all the credit, but the precedent was set up by the way the openers played against Bumrah and Shami with the new ball. It is all about taking wickets and taking ten wickets,” Ben Stokes said at the presentation ceremony. 

“There are no complains. Some times, teams will be better than us, but no one will be braver than us, quote by Jack Leach. We are trying to rewrite how Test cricket is played in England. All our plans from the last four-five weeks is what we want to take ahead. Bowling on the top of off isn’t important, it is all about taking ten wickets. We know that we want to give some new life to Test cricket. The support we received has been fantastic in the short time that we’ve been around. Inspiring the next generation is what we want to do. We want to bring in new fans and want to leave a mark on Test cricket,” he added. 

Also Read: India vs England: Bumrah breaks Kapil Dev’s record with Ollie Pope’s wicket

England’s victory meant that the five-match Test series, which was carried over to this year after several people in the India camp tested positive for COVID last year, ended in a 2-2 draw.

Brief Scores:

England: 284 & 378/3 in 76.4 overs (Joe Root 142 not out, Jonny Bairstow 114 not out, Alex Lees 56; Jasprit Bumrah 2/74) beat India 416 & 245 by seven wickets.