'Losing by 434 runs is not a hammering in Bazball era' - Michael Vaughan trolls Ben Stokes
Published - 09 Mar 2024, 03:26 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:27 AM
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Former England captain Michael Vaughan took a dig at Ben Stokes’ remarks about defending the team despite the series loss against India. Michael Vaughan highlighted that England suffered one of the biggest losses in Test cricket during the third match in Rajkot.
England conceded a 3-1 lead to the Rohit Sharma-led side, despite winning the first Test match in Hyderabad by 28 runs. However, they suffered a 106-run loss in the second test, followed by a 434-run loss. India then secured a five-wicket victory in the fourth Test match.
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We Haven’t Been The Pushovers – Ben Stokes
Speaking ahead of the fifth Test, Ben Stokes backed his players, asserting their competitiveness despite the series loss. Stokes emphasized that England has shown improvement and competitiveness throughout the series, rejecting the idea of regression.
“We’ve definitely progressed as a team. Just because the scoreline at the moment reads 3-1, it doesn’t mean that we’ve gone backwards. There are lots of these things that we have massively progressed on as a team whilst out on this tour. We haven’t been the pushovers like many teams have looked like when they’ve come over here because of how dominant a force India are in their home conditions,” Stokes said.
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It’s India’s Greatest Ever Test Match Victory – Michael Vaughan
Speaking to Club Prairie Fire, Michael Vaughan stated that England’s loss by 434 runs was not as close as Ben Stokes said. Vaughan expressed that England failed to show competitiveness against India in the series.
“When you lose by 434, you’re not pushovers; you’ve challenged the opposition all the way. I think it’s India’s greatest-ever Test match victory. But the rest of the world go there and get absolutely hammered. England, losing by 434, clearly in this era is not a hammering. It’s just quite a close kind of game that was taking place,” Vaughan said.
India secured a commanding 434-run victory over England in the third Test at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot. This win marks India’s largest victory margin by runs in Test cricket, surpassing their previous record of 372 runs against New Zealand in Mumbai in 2021.
Just Give India A Few Test Matches – Michael Vaughan
Michael Vaughan further criticized Ben Stokes, stating that England’s intention is to bolster the confidence of young Indian players in order to uphold the integrity of Test cricket.
“What I like about Stokes, at least he’s telling the world now that this week he’s going to win. The last few weeks, just give India a few Test matches, let them gain a bit of confidence, and give some of those young Indian stars that are coming into Test cricket that want to play Test match cricket.”
The home team is without Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Mohammed Shami. Kohli withdrew due to paternity leave, while Rahul and Shami are sidelined with injuries. India handed caps to Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Rajat Patidar, Akash Deep, and Devdutt Padikkal.
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