Stokes: Greatest triumph since I became captain

HYDERABAD: England captain Ben Stokes hailed England’s 28-run Test victory over India on Sunday as their best since he became captain as it was lauded by pundits and fans alike as “extraordinary” and “phenomenal”.

Ollie Pope’s 196 set India 231 to win but Tom Hartley spun England to victory as he took 7-62 on his Test debut. “We’ve had a lot of fantastic moments as a team, great wins,” Stokes said.

“But given where we are, and who we are playing, I think it’s our greatest triumph since I have been captain.”

Stokes said England were “proud” to have scored such a memorable victory on Indian soil but cautioned his players not to ensure the result is just a one-off.

England’s second Test of their five-match series starts in Visakhapatnam on 2 February.

“Before the series started, we knew how much of a beast India are at home,” Stokes said.

“But the way we responded to being so far behind, it was testament to everything we have said and lived and breathed over the last two years.

“But we’ve got four Tests left. It’s about backing up this performance now. We know that India are going to come back harder at us.

“They are an incredibly tough team but if we can keep standing up to them, it’s a good sign for us. We are very proud to be 1-0 up but there is a long way to go.”

Jadeja and KL Rahul ruled out of second Test

Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul have been ruled out of the second Test against England starting in Visakhapatnam.

Jadeja suffered a hamstring injury on the fourth day, while Rahul complained of pain in his right quadriceps, the BCCI said in a statement.

Middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan, left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar and allrounder Washington Sundar have been added to India’s squad.

India slip to fifth on WTC table

India dropped three spots to fifth place in the World Test Championship (WTC) points table after their 28-run loss in the series opener against England in Hyderabad.

The two-time WTC finalists were second, behind Australia, before the Test. But the result saw them slide below South Africa, New Zealand and Bangladesh, as their points percentage dropped from 54.16 to 43.33.

India were briefly table-toppers too, when they had beaten South Africa inside two days in Cape Town earlier this month to draw the series 1-1.

But their stay at the top was cut short when Australia completed their series sweep against Pakistan two days later to claim the top spot.

India have so far won two and drawn one of their five Tests in the 2023-25 WTC cycle, while losing once each to South Africa and England.

England, however, dropped a place despite beating India, as West Indies got a massive boost in their points percentage thanks to their stunning victory against Australia at the Gabba.

West Indies overtook England to go seventh with their first win of this cycle.