Ben Stokes on IND vs ENG series being a spicy affair: ‘Don't think my lads or India players have been going to bed crying over what was said'

Indian Express

a day ago

The Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy has been one of the more talked about Test series in recent memory with India and England players getting into quite a lot of on-field confrontations. India captain Shubman Gill's bust up with Zak Crawley at Lord's, Mohammed Siraj's run-in with Ben Duckett and Gautam Gambhir's angry exchange with the Oval curator are only some of the several flare-ups that have come to characterize this current series.
England captain Ben Stokes, however, said that such incidents often happen in an intense series and once the match is over, the players let bygones be bygones.
'Yeah, it's been awesome. You know, India-England is always a massive series. There's always going to be moments where emotion comes out from both sides in particular when you get to a stage of the game where almost the game's on the line. I've said it few times before, I don't think any of my lads are going to be going to sleep crying over what was said. And I don't think any of the Indian players have been going to bed crying over what was said either. And I think it just shows that, you know, the passion and the desire that everyone who walks out representing their country with their nation's flag on their chest means,' Stokes said on Sky Sports.
"It wasn't meant to be."
Ben Stokes reacts to India winning the fifth Test 💬 pic.twitter.com/IVg1WivLOD
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 4, 2025
On Monday, India pulled off an incredible six-run victory over England in the seesawing fifth and final Test to secure a creditable 2-2 draw in a blockbuster series which ebbed and flowed over weeks of slugfest between the two cricketing powerhouses.
The tireless Mohammed Siraj (5/104) emerged as the team's biggest hero with one of his finest bowling efforts. He finished the series with 23 wickets, the highest across both teams. Set a record target of 374, England were placed at 339 for six when bad light and torrential rain forced an early stumps on the fourth evening. India picked up the remaining four wickets in quick time, as England's second innings ended at 367 in 85.1 overs. Siraj and Prasidh Krishna (4/126) sizzled with the ball when their team needed them the most.