England Captain Ben Stokes Credits Opening Pair for Historic Chase Against India

Ben Stokes has praised the exceptional 188-run opening partnership between Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley, acknowledging their pivotal role in England's successful pursuit of a 371-run target against India at Headingley. While Duckett's remarkable 149 earned him widespread acclaim, Stokes emphasized the significance of Crawley's 65, highlighting his equally crucial contribution to establishing a disruptive and complementary presence at the top of the order.

The openers laid the foundation for England's memorable win. © Getty

Stokes commented: "Chasing 370, you always want a good start. Minimizing early wicket losses is crucial, and the way Zak and Ducky played was huge."

He further added, "Zak's contribution was immense. Their left-right combination is hard for bowlers to settle against. When they get going, it can be a nightmare. Ducky got 149, but Zak's 65 was vital. Their opening partnership has been excellent for the past couple of years."

Duckett's dominance against Ravindra Jadeja on the final day was particularly noteworthy, especially his audacious use of the reverse sweep. Stokes regards him as one of the best players of spin in the world, praising his execution of that particular shot. "He's one of the best in the world at reverse sweeping and is a fantastic player of spin, especially on tricky surfaces," Stokes remarked.

Stokes even sought advice from Duckett during the innings, seeking ways to improve his own strategy against spin. "I asked him what I could do to give myself a better chance. I wanted to either get forward or back and manipulate the leg side."

Stokes elaborated, "I went in with a clear game plan and reverse sweeps. It's a difficult condition, but I was clear and confident in what I needed to do."

This victory marked the sixth time under the leadership of Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum that England has successfully chased a target of 250 or more in the fourth innings. Stokes attributes their success to their ability to maintain a simple and relaxed approach.

"Me and Baz are simple-minded when it comes to cricket. It's about scoring one more run than the opposition. We try to keep everything simple and calm," Stokes explained.

He emphasized the importance of the dressing room atmosphere during such chases: "Keeping the dressing room calm and relaxed is vital. It affects the mindset of the players going out there under pressure."

Stokes concluded, "It was simple. If we batted the overs left, we would win because of the ground's scoring speed. The scoring rate has been over four an over anyway. It's a very quick-scoring ground."