The fifth Test between India and England will go down in history of cricket as one of the most memorable matches. England were the winning favourites as they just needed 35 runs on Day 5 to clinch victory with four wickets in hand. But tables turned as India made a remarkable comeback with Mohammed Siraj emerging as India’s warrior and got the Indian side out from jaws of defeat. The young Indian side under the captaincy of Shubman Gill was able to level the series by 2-2.

After the match, England skipper Ben Stokes was visibly disappointed but he hailed the efforts put in by his team especially Chris Woakes, who came in to bat with fractured hand.

Ben Stokes Praises Chris Woakes & Rishabh Pant

“That never-say-die, never-back-down attitude we’ve installed in the group nearly paid off. It was never going to be a question for him to go out there. He was in a lot of discomfort even running between the wickets.

“But we’ve had Rishabh Pant go out to bat with a broken foot, we’ve had Shoaib Bashir bowling, batting and fielding with a broken finger and then we had Chris go out there and try and get his team over the line with a quite recently dislocated shoulder.

“Before he went out I didn’t get a chance to give him a tap on the back and say: ‘Go well.’ Coming off it’s obvious what would have been said, just: ‘Great effort, unbelievable.’ He just shrugged his shoulder and said: ‘I wouldn’t do anything else.’”

Ben Stokes On Dropped Catches

“It took, I don’t know, half a ­second for a shoulder to pop out and ­everything just completely changed for us there”

“You could say those chances we put down did cost us, but back to Headingley where we chased down those runs, India dropped quite a few chances and that probably did ­contribute to us winning. Maybe if we did hold on to those chances, things could have been a little bit different.”

“Some guys will leave this series having found out a lot more about themselves,” he said.

Too Much Responsibility For Gus Atkinson

“In particular, with Woakesy going down early on, the responsibility that fell on Gus ­Atkinson, Josh Tongue and Jamie Overton’s shoulders – their roles ­completely changed from why they were selected, the impact we thought they would have on the game. They had to dig deep. I think a couple of guys have found out more about themselves in a very, very ­positive way.

Stokes Hails England’s Team Effort

“They took that ­responsibility on without adding pressure to ­themselves. They did that in a way of pride – one of the boys has gone down and we’re going to have to take on that workload. Some people would shy away from that and be worried about what it means for them. They showed a lot of courage, a lot of heart. They can be very proud of the way they threw themselves into that.”

“There’s that disappointment and frustration, not to have got the result that gives us the series win, but this series has been fantastic to be a part of.

“It’s been full of ups and downs, ebbs and flows, throughout every game. India have been in control, we’ve been in control, it’s gone back to them and then it’s come back to us. To be a part of it has been pretty ­special.

“There Is Still That Disappointment”

“There is still that ­disappointment, but for the wider game, and we want to constantly be promoting the game, this series has been great.”

“There are moments like this where you feel the journey is worth it. There’ve been a lot of highs and lows and that’s kind of expected in sport.

Ben Stokes Remains Optimistic

“Every time you go into bat you want to perform, you want to score a century, but that’s not how the game of life works. You should be able to navigate through the highs and lows of life and stay balanced. I want to stay balanced whether we’ve won the match, lost the match, I’ve done well or not well.

“This morning summarised what this team’s all about. The way Brook and Root were going [on Sunday], not many teams in the world would have given themselves a chance, but this team believes that whenever we have an opening we can get through that opening.

“That’s what we were saying once Brook was out – this was our opening and you never know.”