NEW DELHI: “It doesn’t always work out as you want to, but you back your best players, pick your best players … look at what we managed to do over the last two years. We ain’t, I ain’t, going to let the last two years go to waste over this series in isolation.”
Shortly after India wrapped up the Dharamsala Test by annihilating England in an innings and 64-run win to seal the series 4-1 on Saturday, England skipper Stokes wore a defiant and resistant tone in his overview of the series.
The proponent of the newfound Bazball way of Test match cricket, alongside head coach Brendon McCullum, also said: “I have done a lot of India tours now. I am disappointed with my performance for the team, but write this team off, write me off at your own peril.”
Stokes also questioned the supposed lack of ruthlessness after England surrendered against an all-round Indian unit within two-and-a-half days in Dharamsala. “Ruthlessness? What is it? How does it show itself?”
“Everyone goes into the game with their best intentions, when it doesn’t pay off people say we’re not ruthless but when they do, they say we are. I don’t really understand the saying. That’s from my point of view; we try to do what we think is the best way to win the game. It can be a throwaway comment when people say we’re not ruthless enough. What does it mean,” Stokes countered.
However, former England skipper Michael Vaughan regarded the team’s lack of self-introspection and the general lack of wanting to achieve Test wins as a characteristic of England’s lack of ruthlessness. England find themselves in the eighth spot in the World Test Championship after nine matches this cycle.
‘Fun over winning’
“The great frustration is that they have the talent to be really competitive all over the world but they have blown two big series and in this case it was because their batting failed miserably,” Vaughan wrote in his column for The Telegraph.
“I worry that they are speaking a language that not all of them truly believe, which is dangerous. Positivity is good, and inspiring, but honesty is also required.
“The team message is never to doubt anything, never admit they were wrong or they could have done things differently … that does not breed an environment of ruthlessnes,” Vaughan remarked.
There were also calls made to rethink the “cultish” thought of the Bazball regime where players have been backed despite their pale outings. “Of the batsmen, only Alex Lees has been dropped in two years, and even though the series was settled, Stokes and McCullum opted against giving an exploratory game to Dan Lawrence or the uncapped Gus Atkinson in Dharamsala. Their mateship knows no bounds,” Simone Wilde of the UK Times wrote.
England capitulated on Day 3 after an abject batting display as India’s bowlers wrapped up a remarkable win in Dharamsala.England capitulated on Day 3 after an abject batting display as India’s bowlers wrapped up a remarkable win in Dharamsala.
While Wilde explained that it was unlikely for Stokes to pinpoint on his teammates in the aftermath of the thumping they endured, it was imperative that a spot may be made for the return for Harry Brook when available. Former England skipper Alastair Cook, the last visiting captain to win a Test series in India, said Jonny Bairstow, who completed his 100th Test this week, is likely to be under the pump after an underwhelming tour. Bairstow gathered 230 runs in 10 innings with a best of 39.
“He (Bairstow) has been one of our few successful all-format players but ultimately in this series he hasn’t scored enough runs. Once the dust has settled it will be a hard decision for the selectors,” Cook wrote in The Times UK.
Calls for an end to the one-dimensional outlook of the Bazball way of play were also made. “[Bazball] is not a one-size-fits-all approach. The recent results speak for themselves: it is not a winning formula. It seems there is a lack of responsibility and a lack of accountability … winning does matter, winning is paramount. Losing is not just a shrug of the shoulders.
“It is frustrating, but that’s where you have to be accountable. If not, the fans will start to see through that,” BBC’s Jonathan Agnew lamented.
However, a first Test series defeat and their seventh loss in 12 Tests over the last year, has not signalled a new dawn for captain Stokes just yet. “In the face of defeat and failure, Bazball will hopefully inspire people to become better players and become even better than what we are,” Stokes said.

Agencies