Stokes expects England’s fresh approach to batting fourth in Tests to strike fear in their opponents after they secured a stirring victory over India with their highest-ever successful run chase.
India set a target of 378 in their rescheduled Test at Edgbaston which England cruised to for the loss of only three wickets as in-form duo Joe Root (142*) and Jonny Bairstow (114*) steered them home with an unbroken 269-run stand.
After the match the Winning skipper said, “When the lads play like this, it makes my job easier. When you have clarity like we have in the dressing room, it makes chasing totals like this easier. 378 would have been scary five weeks ago, but now it’s all good. Jonny and Root will get all the credit, but the precedent was set up by the way the openers played against Bumrah and Shami with the new ball. It is all about taking wickets and taking ten wickets. There are no complains. Some times, teams will be better than us, but no one will be braver than us, quote by Jack Leach.We are trying to rewrite how Test cricket is played in England. All our plans from the last four-five weeks is what we want to take ahead. Bowling on the top of off isn’t important, it is all about taking ten wickets. We know that we want to give some new life to Test cricket. The support we received has been fantastic in the short time that we’ve been around. Inspiring the next generation is what we want to do. We want to bring in new fans and want to leave a mark on Test cricket.”
