Who Said What about India? Statement provided by England captain Ben Stokes, India’s captain Rohit Sharma, and Player of the Match Ravindra Jadeja following India’s victory over England in a Test match.
Ben Stokes
England captain Ben Stokes is first up: “Ben Duckett played an unbelievable innings, that was the tone we wanted to set with the bat. It was about identifying opportunities to score and push up to their total. With how the wicket was going we wanted to push it on as much as we could but sometimes that doesn’t work out. Opinions in the dressing room are the ones that matter to us. We’re 2-1 down in the series but still have two games left. We leave this game behind, know we’ve got to win the next two to win the series.”
Rohit Sharma
India’s captain Rohit Sharma: “[End of day two, message to the team?] When you play Test cricket, you don’t play it in two or three days. You have to stay in the game for five days. They played good shots and put us under pressure but we’ve got class in our squad when it comes to bowling. So obviously the message was to stay calm. Important that time to stay calm, otherwise you drift. We stuck to our plans on day three, and when those things happen, its a delight. [Jadeja at No. 5] For this game, we thought he has so much experience in this format, and scored lot of runs of late. We also wanted left-right batting as well. Sarfaraz being Sarfaraz, we know his quality, we wanted him to have some time before he comes out to bat. We saw what he can do with the bat. By no means is it some longtime plan with the batting order, we go with what’s right for us for that Test match. Including calculating what the opponents’ bowling attack is. [Turning point of this game?] Lots of turning points. Once we won the toss, that was a good toss to win. We know runs on board is important in India. The lead was also crucial for us. The way we came out to bowl after the English batters’ onslaught, important to stay calm… the bowlers showed a lot of character. Not to forget we didn’t have our most experienced bowler too. Was proud to watch the bowlers. Then in our second innings, we knew half the job was done. We wanted to extend the lead, and the two youngsters helped extend. And then finally Jadeja. [Jaiswal] I’ve spoken a lot about him. I’m sure people outside the changing room have also been talking about him. I want to be calm about him, not talk a lot about him. He’s started his career on a high.”
Ravindra Jadeja
Ravindra Jadeja is Player of the Match for his century and seven wickets: “We were in a difficult situation, looked to back my strengths, play my shots. Not be too conscious, just watch the ball and play the ball. Batting first, the ball comes on nicely. Once we won the toss, this is what we wanted – bat first, bowl second. You won’t get easy wickets [on this surface] you have to work hard. Need to bowl in good areas, can’t just bowl and get wickets.”
Key Takeaways
here are the key takeaways from Who Said What about India vs England 3rd Test
Ben Stokes (England Captain):
- Praised Ben Duckett for his outstanding innings, setting the tone with the bat.
- Acknowledged the team’s efforts to identify opportunities to score and push towards the total.
- Emphasized the importance of opinions in the dressing room.
- Despite being 2-1 down in the series, emphasized the need to focus on the next two games to win the series.
Rohit Sharma (India’s Captain):
- Stressed the importance of staying in the game for five days in Test cricket.
- Highlighted the pressure from England but expressed confidence in India’s bowling class.
- Explained the decision to include Jadeja at No. 5 in the batting order for this game.
- Pointed out the importance of winning the toss and putting runs on the board in India.
- Praised the team’s calmness, adherence to plans, and character shown by bowlers, especially without their most experienced bowler.
- Identified winning the toss, extending the lead in the second innings, and Jadeja’s performance as turning points.
- Mentioned the significance of having youngsters like Jaiswal starting their careers on a high.
Ravindra Jadeja (Player of the Match):
- Described the difficult situation and how he backed his strengths, playing shots without being too conscious.
- Emphasized the importance of batting first and then bowling in good areas to get wickets on the given surface.
- Acknowledged the need to work hard for wickets on the challenging pitch.