London (UK), July 15, 2025 (ANI): Ben Stokes addressed media after Lord’s test win. While talking to the media, he spoke on topics ranging from clash between the two teams to the crucial moments of the match. He also shared a humorous incident with English pacer Jofra Archer, related to Sourav Ganguly.
00:00Yeah, no, Zou knew that turn up this morning and generally that was the reason as to why we went.
00:05It felt right in my tummy that Joff was going to do something this morning to break the game open.
00:13Yeah, your gut feel doesn't always work, but those two wickets you got this morning, you know, obviously swung the game massively in our favour.
00:20Obviously, you're knackered, but can you tell us how it feels to go deep three times in a row to the last session of a test match and be sitting here 2-1 up?
00:33I don't know, bowl 45 overs in a test match and win.
00:42That's probably the best comparison I could do.
00:44Yeah, pretty cooked. Obviously, big day today, but I thought the game was on the line and, yeah, there's not many things that can't get you.
01:00Sorry, bowling to win the test match for your country on day five, however you wake up in the morning, if that doesn't get you going or, you know, gets you up for going out there and putting them for your team, then I don't know what will.
01:12And can you tell us about the chat at Tee? Obviously, Bash had been off the field, he'd barely played a part in the game for a couple of days, he wasn't out there doing all those hard yards.
01:23What was the chat between you working out if he was ready to step into the game and win it?
01:28Yeah, every time I look around at the bench and ask for a drink, I just sent Bash's little head peeking through there, like, ready to go.
01:36We're obviously told by the match officials that he could stay off the field when he wasn't bowling, but if he was bowling, he had to stay out there.
01:42And look, we obviously threw a lot at their batting line-up today with Seam.
01:48So, yeah, just breaking that sort of flow of the game up with Spin every now and again was obviously something I was going to go to.
01:55And, yeah, starting off the session with Joff and Spin was briefly spoken about.
02:02We all thought it was a good option.
02:03And, yeah, it was great that Bash was able to get that last wicket with, you know, what he had to deal with this week.
02:14What did you think of the tensions between the two teams?
02:20And did you think at any point that it crossed the line or not?
02:22No, I think in big series like this, there's always going to be a time and a moment where the two teams are going to clash.
02:32But, you know, I'm all for it.
02:37I don't think it really stepped over the line.
02:40But I think at the end of it, when you think about it, there's 22 people out there playing for their country.
02:46It's the highest honour that you can do in your, you know, in our given sport.
02:54So, you can understand that sometimes the emotions and the tension can get quite high.
02:58But I don't think there's anyone in the Indian dressing room or anyone in the English dressing room that's going to bed, you know,
03:04going to cry themselves to sleep over what was said or done out there.
03:07You know, where sometimes it gets a little bit over-egged, I think, from an outsider's point of view.
03:12I don't think it overstepped the line from the Indian team or from our team.
03:18But, yeah, there was always going to be a moment in a series like this when it was going to implode.
03:23It wasn't really boiling up to it, it just sort of happened.
03:26But, look, it adds to the spectacle of England being indeed, isn't it?
03:30We'll go Vish and then Stefan.
03:32Abed, you mentioned there about gut feel with Joffrey this morning.
03:36Did you say anything to him before you went out there to almost remind him of stuff six years ago?
03:40I just said to him this morning, I said, you know what today is, don't you?
03:44And it was that highlight package from, I think, when India knocked off like 300-odd back in the day when Ganguly.
03:56He thought that was a World Cup final as well.
03:59He thought that was six years today.
04:01Genuine.
04:01And I was like, no, that World Cup that we won.
04:07He was like, oh, that one.
04:09Gosh.
04:10He's an absolute beauty, that boy.
04:12But, yeah, nah, just had that feeling.
04:16And, yeah, those two wickets today, that Rashad Pan one was obviously massive in a low sort of, you know, fourth innings run chase.
04:23Just off the back of it, you just called him a beauty there.
04:27It didn't look like you were very kind to him last night.
04:29Can I ask what that back and forth was?
04:31And it looked like he was going to try to apologise to you as you were walking off.
04:35Which one?
04:36Just yesterday when, I think you kind of remissed when he was a square leg.
04:39I think you wanted a single instead of two.
04:41And then, yeah, can I just ask about that?
04:43So he wanted me to come to mid on and Cassie to go to leg slip so he could talk to me.
04:49But I didn't trust Cassie at leg slip, to be honest.
04:53Yeah.
04:54And was there any, like, did you, like, talk to him about it at stumps?
04:58Because obviously, like, I suppose he's not necessarily used to you captaining in this era because, you know,
05:04you're like a field is up and it looks like he just wanted cover at certain points.
05:09Yeah.
05:09Have you been, like, bringing him up to speed?
05:11Honestly, that whole thing was he wanted me to come to mid on so we could chat about what he's trying to do.
05:16Yeah.
05:17That's quite sweet, that.
05:18Yeah.
05:18A couple of years ago, there was obviously the Ashes test with the Johnny Stump in.
05:24You guys seemed to feed off that when you got back into the series.
05:29The tension between the sides in this game, did it give you guys an extra edge?
05:34You seemed really up for it after what happened on Saturday night.
05:38I don't think so.
05:40I think sometimes it just brings out, you know, another side of a team.
05:44Obviously, when you're watching your two opening batters go out there for an over and you're seeing 11 guys all come at you to your opposition,
05:52I think that's going to bring out another side.
05:56And, yeah, as I said before, like, it just sort of brought out a bit of tension from both teams.
06:01I mean, it's great to watch.
06:03But, yeah, when we came in last night, after taking that last wicket, that long room was absolutely raucous.
06:13Generally think it was louder than when we walked back in after that Ashes incident.
06:17But that was more cheers and excitement last night as opposed to, yeah, the boos coming out when the Australia game was here.
06:29And how bad is Bash?
06:31Are we likely to see him again in this series?
06:35Yeah, it's not good news for Bash.
06:39Very disappointing for us as a team and for him.
06:41Yeah, big shame, but I think, you know, the courage that he showed to go out there and bat at the end for us
06:48and willing to sit there on the bench waiting for his moment to come on and bowl,
06:54you know, I think just proves, I think, how much it means to everyone who gets the opportunity to put the shirt on
07:02that, you know, not even a couple of breaks is going to stop anyone getting out there.
07:07Chris, Adam, and then we have two on this side here, please.
07:12Go ahead.
07:13Ben's been quite a few special moments for this team over the past three years or so,
07:17but I just wondered, does this win rank as one of your most satisfying as captain?
07:25I don't know.
07:28Like, I think, for me, like, winning on day five by 22 runs like we did is probably one of the most subdued celebrations I've ever been on,
07:40winning them win.
07:42Yeah.
07:44Just didn't have a lot to give, to be honest, there with the celebrations.
07:48So it's a weird one.
07:49I mean, obviously, it's a great game.
07:51It's a close game.
07:51You'd think I should be saying yes, but it's just quite hard to quite get my head around it at the moment,
07:58if that makes sense, just because, yeah, I've obviously, you know, put a lot in over the last two days.
08:04So when you're physically and emotionally tired, it's hard to, I don't know, properly feel.
08:12I reckon in two days' time I'll be pretty pumped.
08:14But, yeah, just pretty knackered at the moment, to be honest,
08:17but obviously very happy that we've managed to get the win.
08:19I heard you say on TV that you're probably going to spend the next four days in bed.
08:24Yeah.
08:25Just check in, like, you're pretty confident you're going to be up at it and bang up for Manchester.
08:31Oh, yeah, I mean, absolutely sound for Manchester.
08:33It's a big break.
08:35Obviously, it was pretty tired after Headingley.
08:38But, yeah, after we walked off the field there, sort of a whole new level of tiredness hit.
08:45But, yeah, I think it's obviously different when you're, I've been in games like that before, not as a captain.
08:51You know, where I've been given the ball to run in and try and bowl the team to victory.
08:55But then now, obviously, adding on to the decision-making around bowling changes, field placings,
09:02how I feel we're going to get this win.
09:04And, you know, obviously, there's the physical element of bowling in the fourth innings.
09:07But then, yeah, I shouldn't be underestimated how the emotional and mental tiredness does also get you as well.
09:19Adam and Em, we'll finish with two here.
09:21And then we're done.
09:22Hi, Ben.
09:22You've obviously shown massive belief in Bash.
09:25And he's had a tough series, a tough week.
09:27How nice was that just for his confidence?
09:28And assuming we're not going to see him again for the rest of the series, it's a good way to finish.
09:33Yeah, I don't think it's, like, confidence is anything to worry about with Bash.
09:38He's very confident with his inability.
09:40He's very confident and comfortable within this team.
09:43But, look, I think what an amazing feeling for him to be able to take that wicket there.
09:47You know, and obviously with his hand in the state that it's in, amazing.
09:54Just, yeah, very proud of the way that he went about the rest of the week after having to come off the field.
10:01You know, I think there would be a lot of people who might not necessarily have been brave enough to go out there and face, you know, Bumrah.
10:13And then also put himself up for, you know, wanting to get out there and bowl and help his team.
10:19Last two here.
10:21Ben, just want to ask that, how much bowler Ben Stokes listened to captain Ben Stokes when he was, you know,
10:277-0s in a trot, 8-0s in a trot.
10:29But they kept showing us Brendan McClellan's face.
10:32He was just trying to send some messages to, you know, Tim Salvi.
10:36So, you know, they were always showing this.
10:39So, is there a communication between the captain Ben Stokes and bowler Ben Stokes
10:42when he was, you know, continuously coming up his hands after his face?
10:46Are you trying to say we've got a little man on my shoulder?
10:50No, I think, look, obviously yesterday, yeah, it came down just to, but there was more cricket to be played.
10:59But today there wasn't.
11:01Game was on the line.
11:03And that obviously is a completely different element and aspect to what it was last night.
11:07Obviously put a big shift in yesterday.
11:09And, yeah, today was sort of, it was going to be my decision when I stopped bowling.
11:20As soon as I felt like I was not the person to break this game open or take the wicket,
11:26that's when I decided, right, enough's enough.
11:28Change the bowlers up because, look, although I felt threatening for most of the day,
11:33when batters are in, they feel more comfortable against whoever it is.
11:38So, yeah, obviously changing who you bring on and giving a batter a sort of new,
11:44I don't know, new bowler to line up to think about facing.
11:48That was sort of the decision today.
11:50But, yeah, I was, yeah, trying to bowl and win a game for my team.
11:56Last one, Mike, please.
11:58Last two or three years, Ben, we've obviously celebrated a lot of blazing hitting
12:02and quite rightly so.
12:04But in games like this, does it make you appreciate even more the measured approach
12:09of someone like Root?
12:11Top scorer in both innings, faced most balls in both England innings
12:15and he must have actually on his board to himself in the dressing room now, hasn't he?
12:20He should do, definitely.
12:21That was his ninth, is it, or eighth of hundred?
12:23Eighth.
12:24Yeah, he seems to be doing the first man to do this a lot for England at the moment.
12:29Just, it's amazing to be in a dressing room with greatness.
12:32You know, we've known each other since we were like 12, 13 years old,
12:35so to be still playing for England together is pretty amazing.
12:38He's still the same old Joe Root that he was back in the day.
12:41And, look, I think the way in which that this whole game played out,
12:50scoring freely was very, very tough.
12:54It wasn't a wicket that you felt like you could actually get huge value for your shots.
13:00So it was about, you know, biding your time and just, you know,
13:04taking almost your runs as they came, if that makes sense.
13:08And, obviously, you know, Rootie's the best batter in the world in all conditions, in my opinion.
13:17You know, he read the situation very, very well, as did, I thought, Oli Pope as well.
13:22It was very clear that it wasn't going to be one of those wickets where you could, you know,
13:25play those big drives on the up or get out of the ball because of how slow it was.
13:29Obviously, when the ball went a little bit softer, it became even harder.
13:33But, yeah, then when it came to batting in the third innings,
13:38it was a completely different game with that new ball.
13:40Like, yeah, it was an interesting test match to be a part of as a batter
13:45with the amount of changes that the wickets sort of threw at you.
13:49But, yeah, and even again, our third innings, you know,
13:51we honestly felt that 190 runs was going to be very, very tough to chase down
13:56because of how that wicket had changed, the invariable bounce,
13:58some keeping low, some going through the top.
14:01So, yeah, we were actually very confident that we had had a good score,
