Birmingham, July 6 (IANS) After suffering a huge 336-run defeat to India in the second Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Test at Edgbaston, England skipper Ben Stokes said as the game got deeper, the pitch began to suit the visitors’ more than the hosts.

Stokes was speaking in the post-match presentation ceremony about his decision to bowl first, a question to which he avoided giving a direct answer. “It was a tough one. Having a team 200-5, you feel you’re in a commanding position. As the game got deeper, it turned into a wicket that suited India more than us,” he said.

He then pointed towards two situations from where England lost the match, as they conceded a huge 180-run lead to India and allowed their batters, including skipper Shubman Gill, to make gigantic scores.

“Two moments – having them 200-5 and not being able to burst them open after a good start with the ball. And being 80-5. It was going to be tough to scrape it back from there. You look back at 200-5. If we were able to burst them open quicker, things could have been different.”

Asked if he’s concerned about England’s bowlers struggling to fire collectively, Stokes stated, “I wouldn’t say it’s a concern. We ran in, we tried everything, we changed plans, but when a team’s on top of you – and India are a class team – it’s hard to change the momentum. Shubman Gill had an unbelievable performance.”

England’s batting collapses while facing the new ball were also a point of concern, and Stokes said, “It’s always tough. When you spend time out in the field, your body and mind are tired. It’s a difficult position to find yourself in, batting at the end of the day. We’re going to be in that position again and it’s up to us to get the best out of the position.”

The hosts had a positive in the form of wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith, who hit an unbeaten 184 and 88 in both innings. “Jamie’s been incredible since he came into the team. He’s been exceptional with the bat. He goes under the radar with his wicketkeeping.”

“It just shows that he stuck to his guns and played his natural game and the way him and Harry wrestled the momentum back towards us was a very special part of the game to watch.”

Stokes signed off by saying England will soon decide who would play in the third game at Lord’s, starting on July 10. “There’s a couple of days to take note of that. We’ll reassess where everything’s at.”

–IANS

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