Ben Stokes concedes better side won Test series

India beat England by five wickets within the fourth Take a look at in Ranchi to clinch the five-match sequence 3-1. It was an entire turnaround for England after they’d fought again brilliantly to win the primary Take a look at in Hyderabad by 28 runs. They’d their moments in Ranchi as properly, the place they held the higher hand after two days, however couldn’t capitalize on the benefit.

With the sequence loss to India, England suffered their first Take a look at sequence defeat within the Bazball period. Admitting that the outcomes have been disappointing, Stokes gave credit score to India, particularly the spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav. He additionally rued England not taking their probabilities after they had been forward within the recreation.

“It is at all times disappointing being on the dropping workforce. Wanting again at after we had our probability to bat yesterday, cricket is at all times ability towards ability. Ashwin, Jadeja and Kuldeep and the circumstances we discovered ourselves in towards them was very, very difficult,” Stokes mentioned after the loss in Ranchi.

“When India have a sniff in circumstances like that, any workforce goes to search out it onerous to not solely hold the scoreboard ticking however rotate the strike. You have to give them a whole lot of credit score for the best way during which they bowled in very favorable circumstances. On this event, their ability was higher than ours yesterday,” he added.

England made a couple of eye-grabbing feedback on the Ranchi pitch and its cracks forward of the fourth Take a look at. However Stokes didn’t put down the loss to the floor. The all-rounder commented, “I had no concept what it was going to do and I used to be very shocked the way it saved collectively. The temperatures of the day made it behave otherwise however I believe all 4 have been actually good Take a look at match pitches.

“We have seen on many events when it is onerous to get them out, however there shall be durations when spin is a menace. They’re the circumstances you anticipate in India. No complaints, simply superb wickets and 4 video games, 4 outcomes, so cannot complain,” the England captain added.

England have misplaced the Take a look at sequence to India, ending their undefeated run within the Bazball period, their first main setback since Brendon McCullum joined forces with Stokes. Nevertheless, the England skipper was happy with the progress of younger spinners Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir.

“They will be capable of depart on the finish of this tour with their heads held very excessive. For us as an England workforce going ahead, we have extra thrilling expertise which is a superb factor for English cricket,” he asserted.

The fifth and closing Take a look at of the India-England sequence begins in Dharamsala on March 7.

–By A Cricket Correspondent