England captain Ben Stokes said on Tuesday that his team will respond to any aggression from the Indian players in the same manner during the fourth Test starting Wednesday at Old Trafford, Manchester. He hinted that the verbal duels in this fiercely contested series are unlikely to end any time soon. England currently leads the five-match series 2-1, but players like Shubman Gill, Mohammed Siraj, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Stokes, and Harry Brook have not hesitated to engage in heated exchanges with the opposition.
Speaking on the eve of the Old Trafford Test, Stokes said, “I don’t think it’s one of those things where we go out onto the field looking to start anything. I don’t think either team is deliberately planning that. But I do believe that in a big Test series like this, there always comes a moment when the atmosphere gets a bit tense. It’s a high-pressure situation, and both teams are under pressure to perform well.”
While such moments might be natural reactions to specific situations, Stokes made it clear that they won’t take any hostility from the opposition lightly.
He added, “As I said, it’s not something we’re going to intentionally provoke, because that could distract us from what we actually need to do out there. But that doesn’t mean we’ll back down in any way, and we won’t let any opposition team try to be aggressive towards us without responding. And we won’t shy away from giving it back. Honestly, I think most teams do the same. It’s not just us. But this series has been fantastic. Every day of all three Tests so far has produced top-quality cricket.”
The tension peaked on the third day of the Lord’s Test when Crawley and Duckett delayed the game, which triggered sharp reactions from Siraj and Gill. Gill pointed his finger at Duckett, who responded in kind. Stokes defended the entire episode.
He said, “That evening at Lord’s, when Zak and Ben had to go out to bat, is where things began to heat up. It worked to our advantage, as we got to bowl at the end of the Test match, and we managed to win it. We threw everything we had at India – not just in terms of skill, but with our energy on the field as well.”
Stokes acknowledged that the aggression from the Indian players actually fuelled his own team’s motivation. He said, “Harry Brook mentioned it, and so did Brendon McCullum – they said, ‘You guys were really good out there.’ Do I agree with that? Yes, I think I do. It was a key moment, I believe, where everyone in the team felt united, especially when responding to the opposition’s aggressive tactics.”