After losing to India by 106 runs, Ben Stokes displayed great generosity by acknowledging that the series being tied 1-1 after two Tests was just. He also made it clear that a virus in the England team was not the reason for their loss. However, Stokes did raise a concern about the accuracy of Hawk-Eye in Zak Crawley’s crucial dismissal.

England’s chances of reaching a record 399 seemed bleak as they lost two wickets just before lunch, leaving them with six down and still needing 205 runs to win. One of these wickets was Crawley’s, who was given out lbw by Kuldeep Yadav after a review via the decision review system. Crawley had scored the highest with 73 runs in England’s final score of 292 all out.

The on-field umpire, Marais Erasmus, declared Rohit Sharma “not out” due to his belief that the ball would have missed the leg stump. However, the Hawk-Eye projection that appeared after Sharma’s review was surprising to many, including Stokes. He clarified that this was not the reason for England’s missed opportunity to go up 2-0 with three games remaining.

Stokes stated that technology is clearly present in the game and that everyone understands why it cannot be completely accurate, which is why the “umpire’s call” exists. When there is uncertainty, it is not unreasonable for someone to express their belief that the technology may have made a mistake on that specific occasion. This is my personal viewpoint.

“But in a game full of ifs, buts and maybes, I am not going to say that is the reason why we haven’t got the result we wanted. I’m just ­saying my personal opinion is that the ­tech­nology has gone wrong on this occasion, and I think that’s fair to say.”

Stokes did not make excuses when it was discovered that three players on his team – Ollie Pope, Ben Foakes, and Tom Hartley – were feeling ill on the day. He expressed pride in his team for not backing down and giving their best effort.

Stokes did not argue with the final outcome as he was aware of the daunting challenge his team faced, which was largely due to Jasprit Bumrah’s impressive six-wicket performance on the second day. The Indian team’s exceptionally skilled fast bowler ended the match with a total of nine wickets, as he had predicted before the series that England’s aggressive approach to batting would work in his favor.

“He is an absolute champion of a bowler,” Stokes said. “I love watching very good cricketers going about their business and Jasprit Bumrah’s ­definitely one of those. I’m happy with how our approach was with the bat. Our approach is what we’re known for and the way we play. Regardless of the situation I want us to stay true to ourselves.”

Rahul Dravid, the head coach of India, described the win as a collective effort by the team despite the absence of key players. One such player was Virat Kohli, who is currently on leave for personal reasons. Dravid did not reveal if he anticipates Kohli’s return in Rajkot.

Source: theguardian.com