IND vs ENG 2024: Results don’t show progress England made in India, says Ben Stokes

England skipper Ben Stokes feels results don’t show the progress which his team has made in India. The visitors won the opening Test match at Hyderabad by 28 runs but lost the next three Test matches. Thus, they are trailing by 3-1 before the fifth and final Test match at Dharamsala.

England has failed to grab the crucial stages in the last three Test matches and it has led to their downfall. However, England’s young spin duo of Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir have impressed with their skill sets despite the lack of experience. While Hartley is the leading wicket-taker in the series with 20 scalps in four matches, Bashir has bagged a total of 12 wickets in two games.

Stokes feels the 3-1 scoreline in favour of the hosts doesn’t do their performances justice as they have grown in confidence.

“Well, it’s like whenever we play. We want to win this week,” Stokes said ahead of the final Test match of the series.

“If you take the results by themselves you’d say we’ve gone backwards,” Stokes told the reports ahead of the Test match.

“But we haven’t. The individuals and the team have massively evolved on this tour. Progression doesn’t always show itself with the results,” he further added.

Stokes said the most important thing for him is the fact that the players have given their absolute best on the field as playing in the Indian conditions is always tough.

“All you can do is try your nuts off in the nets because that’s where you get better. We ain’t been the pushovers like many teams have looked when they’ve come over here,” Stokes said.

“We feel every opportunity to play for England is special. That’s just our mentality and our mindset, regardless of where you are, or how long you’ve been away. But that shouldn’t take away from the fact that this place is pretty special,” concluded the England skipper.

The fifth and final Test match will be played at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala from March 7.