"Had belief we'll chase it"- Ben Stokes after 106-run defeat against India in Vizag Test

England failed to chase down a mammoth target of 399 runs in IND vs ENG 2nd Test in Vizag. However, England skipper Ben Stokes said that the team had full belief to chase it down. Ben Stokes & Co. were bowled out for 292 in the final innings as India won the IND vs ENG 2nd Test by 106 runs.

India opted to bat first in the match and piled up 396-10 in 1st innings, thanks to a double century by opener Yashasvi Jaiswal. The youngster rocked with his 209 runs to lead the team to a powerful total. Zak Crawley later hit 76 runs for England but the rest batters failed to go deep. Ben Stokes added 47 as England were bundled out for 253.

Later, India commenced 2nd innings with a 225-run lead. Posting 255 with Shubman Gill’s century (104), Team India set a gigantic target of 399 for England. Notably, no team has ever chased down more than 300 runs against India in Tests on Indian soil.

England opener Zak Crawley showed a fightback in the 2nd innings with his 73 runs. However, the rest of the batters could not even reach fifties. Ben Stokes faced an unlucky run-out when England needed almost 200 more runs.

Also Read: Zak Crawley becomes 3rd batsman in 10 years to clinch this rare record vs India

Had belief we’ll chase it”- Ben Stokes after 106-run defeat against India

During the post-match press conference, Ben Stokes said his team had full belief that they would chase down the target in the last innings. He also added that it was another great game to be part of.

“Coming into this last innings, had full belief in ourselves that we’ll chase it down. In moments like that, in games with scoreboard pressure, that’s where we get the best out of ourselves. Another great game to be a part of”, Stokes said.

Also Read: “Lacking good touch” – RP Singh blasts Shreyas Iyer for flop batting show in Vizag Test

Ben Stokes, who led England to victory in the 1st Test, also reckoned that every England player is a quality player and he has no suggestions for anyone.

“There’s no suggestion whatsoever about how to play. Everyone in the dressing room is a quality player. They are good enough to go out there and assess the conditions, and decide how to go about it”, the England all-rounder further added.

Also Read: “Ben Stokes lost 10 kgs”- Kevin Pietersen hails England skipper’s dedication to diet post brilliant catch

Jasprit Bumrah and James Anderson are incredible bowlers: Stokes

The left-handed batsman also loved leading the spinners against India in the 2nd innings. Stokes also hailed James Anderson and Jasprit Bumrah, calling them incredible bowlers.

“I absolutely loved it (leading the spinners). To put in the performance they did yesterday was incredible. They showed a lot of maturity beyond the years. James Anderson is amazing. Anderson and Bumrah are two guys who’re incredible bowlers”, Ben Stokes concluded.

Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah was awarded the Player of the Match award in the IND vs ENG 2nd Test. The right-arm pacer clinched 9 wickets in the match including a 6-wicket haul in 1st innings. The India vs England Test series stands at 1-1 after two games. Earlier, England won the 1st Test by 28 runs. The series will observe five Test matches.