Ben Stokes accepted that chasing 378 “would have been scary” after England’s record-breaking chase to win the rescheduled fifth Test by seven wickets.
Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow scored centuries as England pulled off their highest-ever successful run chase in Test cricket and equal the five-match series for the Pataudi Trophy on Tuesday.
IND vs ENG, 5th Test Day 5 – Highlights | Report
England overhauled the 378-run target in the morning session of the fifth and final day with Root and Bairstow remaining unbeaten on 142 and 114 respectively.
“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,” Stokes said after the match.
“378 would have been scary five weeks ago, but now it’s all good,” he added.
The successful chase of 378 is also the highest England have chased ever in Test cricket. After chasing 277, 299 and 296 against New Zealand, England chasing 378 against India also made them the first team in Test cricket to chase four 250+ scores successfully in consecutive matches.
The England captain praised Root and Bairstow and said all the credit of the win should go to the pair.
“Jonny and Root will get all the credit, but the precedent was set up by the way the openers played against (Jasprit) Bumrah and (Mohammed) Shami with the new ball,” Stoke said.
Stokes also opened up on England’s change in approach in recent matches, saying that they want to bring “some new life to Test cricket”.
“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,” he said.
Stokes also praised the English crowd at Edgbaston, saying: “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.
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