Ben Stokes paid tribute to the bravery of Chris Woakes when a series during which the players fought at various stadiums through the broken feet and the broken fingers ended with an man with an arm in the fold, his other arm in an agony and an obvious agony while England dropped seven points in less.
“This attitude constantly and without die, we installed in the group has almost borne fruit,” said Stokes. “It would never be a question for him to go there. Obviously, he was in a lot of discomfort, even running between the counters.
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“But we had Rishabh Pant to beat with a broken foot, we had the bowling alley, the striker and the ground of Shoaib Bashir with a broken finger, then we brought out Chris and try to pass his team on the line with a very recently dislocated shoulder.
“Before I go out, I did not have the opportunity to give him a blow on the back and to say:” Go well “. Going out, it is obvious of what would have been said: “a great effort, incredible”. He just raised his shoulders and said, “I wouldn’t do anything else.” »»
Stokes, which was excluded from the game with a shoulder injury, identified the moment when the Woakes fell on the day of the opening as the time that decided on the match – “I took, I don’t know, half a second for a shoulder to break out, and everything completely changed for us” – but the captain admitted that the six England captures fell during the second moments of India.
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“You could say that these chances that we wrote cost us, but back in Headingley where we chased these races, India has lost a lot of chance and that probably contributed to us to win.
Although the match ended with a defeat in the adversity of playing the majority of it, Stokes felt certain that the players showed courage before unknown. “Some guys will leave this series after discovering much more on themselves,” said Stokes.
“In particular this game, with Woaksy who lights up early, the responsibility that fell on Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue and Jamie Overton – their roles have completely changed compared to the reason they were selected, the impact we thought they would have on the game. They had to dig deeply. I think a few guys have discovered more on themselves in a very, very positive way.
“They took this responsibility without adding pressure to themselves. They did so in a way of pride – one of the boys fell and we will have to assume this workload. I think some people would turn away from that and worry about what it means for them. They have shown a lot of courage, a lot of heart. They can be very proud of the way they have started.”
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After an appropriate conclusion, suddenly tense, on the 25th day, the series will remain in the memories like a classic, Stokes admitting that the final score of 2-2 was “probably right”. He said: “There is this disappointment and this frustration there, not for having obtained the result which gives us the victory of the series, but this series was fantastic to be part.
“It was full of ups and downs, reflux and flow, throughout the game. India was in control, we were in control, it came back and then it comes back to us.
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At the end of his first series as captain of India, to which he contributed 754 points and four centuries, Shubman Gill said that his fortune – and his own – hesitation had demonstrated “the functioning of the game of life”.
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Gill said: “There are times like this when you think the trip is worth it. There have been a lot of ups and downs and it’s a bit expected in sport.
“Obviously, whenever you enter the bat, you want to play, you want to mark a century, but that’s not how the game of life works. You should be able to navigate through the ups and downs of life and stay balanced. I want to stay balanced, whether we have won the match, lost the match, I did well or not well. It is balance.
“This morning summed up what this team is everything. The way Brook and Root were going [on Sunday]Few teams in the world would have given themselves a chance, but this team thinks that each time we have an opening, we can pass through this opening. This is what we said once Brook was out – it was our opening, and you never know. »»
