England captain Ben Stokes called it an “awesome” Test match after his team pulled off a gripping five-wicket victory over India, chasing 371 in the final hour on Day 5 to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
It was indeed a dramatic Headingley Test battle that remained finely balanced till the fifth day, Stokes said the team was always focused on finding the best way to win. “You don’t know what’s going to happen before a ball is bowled, so you try to make the best decisions,” he noted after the match.
India posted 471 in their first innings, with the hosts responding strongly but falling short at 465. In the second innings, India were bowled out for 364, setting England a target of 371. The Three Lions chased it down comfortably on the final day, reaching 373/5 in the third session with 84 balls to spare.
The platform for the run-chase was built by openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, whose positive start shifted momentum in England’s favour. “That partnership between Zak (Crawley) and Ben (Duckett) was incredible to get us going... they complement each other really well.” Duckett’s 149 and Crawley’s 65 set the tone for what turned into England’s third-highest successful Test chase at home.
Beyond skill, Stokes highlighted England’s mentality when it comes to chasing down targets against strong teams. “To win against quality oppositions, like we have for a number of times, it gives us confidence,” he remarked. “There’s a lot of skill that has contributed to winning this Test match, but also the attitude we showed was incredible.”
“We were on the field for long periods of time in this game, thought we turned up with the attitude that we could break this game open at any time," he added.
As for the surface at Headingley, Stokes was all praise: “I think this Test match shows that if it goes down to the last hour on Day 5 then it’s a pretty good wicket.”
Ben Stokes Test Stats:
The captain was the most effective with the ball from England's side, taking 4 wickets for 66 runs in 20 overs (econ 3.30). With the bat, Stokes scored 20 and 33 runs in both the innings respectively.
In his Test career spanning 112 matches, Ben Stokes has scored 6,781 runs, including a highest score of 258. With the ball, he has claimed 218 wickets, boasting best figures of 6/22.
"Awesome Test match to be a part of, going into the final hour of day 5 and getting the run-chase."
“Been a great start to the series, got four more hard games to come,” said the England captain as they gear up to take on India for the second Test starting on July 2nd at the Edgbaston in Birmingham.
