In a captivating display of resilience, England, led by Ben Stokes and guided by Brendon McCullum, have showcased a commendable performance in the Test series against India.
Despite trailing 1-3 after a recent loss at Ranchi, the English side has pushed the hosts to their limits in all four encounters, which has reinforced head coach, Brendon McCullum's, belief in his much-talked-about 'Bazball' approach.
At both Ranchi and Rajkot, England were in a position of strength but failed to capitalize on crucial moments, allowing India to snatch victory from their grasp. Reflecting on these missed opportunities, McCullum acknowledged the team's failure to seize vital moments but remained buoyant about England's Test prospects.
What did Brendon McCullum say?
"We're disappointed we've gone down in the series, but at the same time we're really proud of the efforts of the guys." said McCullum during his interaction with the press.
"We've had our moments throughout this series, we've performed well at times and been outplayed in others. It's been a great contest and you've got to acknowledge that India, at the times where the game has been sitting on the line, have really stepped up and performed."
"We weren't quite good enough when it mattered. Or India were better, to be honest, than us being not quite good enough. We've lost this series and we didn't win the Ashes but we're a better cricket team than we were 18 months ago and we've got an opportunity in the next 18 months to do some pretty special shit. I'm fizzing for it, to be honest."
"Time on the tools, experience and just keep chiselling away at any of those rough edges which creep up every now and then, which is natural, and we'll get there eventually."
Brendon McCullum lavishes praise on England spinners
One of the series' revelations has been England's spin department, spearheaded by the young and talented Tom Hartley. In his debut series, Hartley has emerged as the leading wicket-taker, claiming 20 scalps in four games, including a memorable seven-wicket haul in the first Test. The left-arm spinner's contributions with both bat and ball have been instrumental in England's competitiveness.
Hartley's partners in spin, Rehan Ahmed and Shoaib Bashir, have also made significant contributions, adding depth to England's bowling attack. McCullum praised the youngsters' performances and emphasized the importance of providing them with opportunities at the county level to further hone their skills.
"I think that's really important. Both of those guys have been outstanding in this series. When we picked Tom and Bash, there was probably a little bit of hesitation from others, and from us there was a bit of apprehension, too. We thought they had the skills, but will they be good enough at this level? What we've seen is they are definitely good enough."
"It will be a slight frustration of ours if they weren't given opportunities at county level. There's a very real possibility that might be the case, but without wanting to dictate to counties, because they have their own agendas as well, when you see performances like we have out of those two bowlers throughout the series, I think you'd be slightly mad if you didn't give them more opportunities in county cricket. Hopefully, we'll see them get plenty of chances and if it's not for them, then it might be for us."