England's Stokes Credits Opening Duo for Test Triumph Over India

Ben Stokes, the captain of England, has praised the outstanding opening partnership between Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley, recognizing their significant contribution to England's remarkable run chase against India at Headingley. The duo's 188-run stand set the stage for England's successful pursuit of 371 in the fourth innings.

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

While Duckett's superb 149 earned him plaudits, Stokes emphasized the importance of Crawley's 65, highlighting the crucial role he played in establishing a dominant and complementary presence at the top of the batting order.

"Chasing 370 like we were, you always want to get off to a good start. The least amount of wickets that you lose early on is obviously crucial, but the way he went about it with Zak and then played the game at the top of that order for us was huge in particular," Stokes stated.

He further added, "Zak played a huge role as well. They complement each other so well. Left hand, right hand, one's a giant, one's not. It's very hard for the bowlers to settle in when they both get going. It's hard to find any rhythm. It can be a nightmare when they're in for a long period of time. Ducky got the 149, but that 65 was so important. He led the situation very well, knowing that Ducky was getting away and was able to put the pressure back onto them. That opening partnership for us has been very, very good over the last couple of years."

Duckett's aggressive approach against Ravindra Jadeja on the final day was particularly noteworthy, especially his confident use of the reverse sweep. Stokes considers him to be among the best players of spin in the world, recognizing his exceptional skill in executing that particular shot.

Stokes revealed that he even sought advice from Duckett during his own innings, seeking to improve his options against spin bowling. "I just had a little word with him about what he thought I could potentially look at to give myself a better chance... Just going in with a clear game and reverse sweeps was something I went out there with. Yeah, it's a difficult condition, but again, just going back to being clear and confident in what I needed to do to try and knock those men [close-in fielders] off."

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

"I think we're just... We're a very simple-minded pair, me and Baz, I think, when it comes to cricket... So we just try to keep everything as simple, calm as we possibly can," Stokes explained.

He emphasized the importance of a calm and relaxed atmosphere in the dressing room when chasing such totals. "When you're chasing down totals like that, how you are in the dressing room is actually very important... keeping the sort of calm, relaxed vibe as much as we can throughout the dressing room is so important."

Stokes concluded by highlighting the favorable scoring conditions at the ground. "It was pretty simple yesterday. It was if we bat the overs that is left in this game, we will win this game just because of how quick this ground is at scoring... It's just a very, very quick scoring ground."