Following a drubbing against India, England captain Ben Stokes delivered a strong statement on the Edgbaston surface, giving up the advantage they had gained by winning the first Test. England put on a dismal display at home, as India outperformed them over the course of five days and completely outmatched them at Edgbaston with both bat and ball. Ultimately, they lost the game by a staggering 336 runs.

India maintained complete control of the match with outstanding performances in both the batting and bowling areas, leaving England in a catch-up position from the beginning. Throughout the game, the visitors were consistently outplayed, unable to compete with India's intensity and execution, and always behind.

Stokes stated in the aftermath of the loss that the pitch gradually turned into a subcontinental surface and that the Indian bowlers were in a good position to exploit it.

"Honestly, as it's gone further into the game, it's probably become more of a subcontinent pitch. We definitely revealed a bit of it to begin with, as you know, and I believe we did that really, really well in the beginning," Stokes said to BBC Test Match Special.

“But yeah, then it just, yeah, it became a real tough slog for us as it sort of got deeper and deeper, and obviously, with the Indian attack and the conditions that they’ used to, they were used to and used some of how to expose those conditions, just sort of a little bit better than that can happen sometimes,” he said.

The English captain's remarks, though, were not well received by the supporters. He was slammed on X, and some people even referred to him as a crybaby for referring to the subcontinent pitch as a subcontinent pitch rather than acknowledging his team's subpar play.

Akash Deep, Siraj expose ENG on flat track

With their exceptional displays, Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj helped India achieve its inaugural Test victory at Edgbaston as they rose to the occasion. The pair handled the burden admirably, shaking the English batting lineup with relentless intensity and accuracy, as Jasprit Bumrah, the team's pace leader, took a break.

In the Test match, Akash was India's most impressive bowler, particularly in the second innings, when he recorded an incredible six-wicket haul (6/99). This included important wickets on Day 5, like as Joe Root and the solitary warrior Jamie Smith. His total match performance of 10 wickets for 187 runs is now the greatest by an Indian bowler in a Test match played in England. In the interim, Siraj, who took the helm of the pace attack in Bumrah's absence, completely broke England's back with an outstanding six-wicket haul (6/70) in their first innings.

For England, Jamie Smith once again stood out, following up his flawless 184 in the first innings with a tenacious 88 in the second. As wickets continued to fall at the other end, he waged a solitary struggle and was the only English batsman to reach the fifty-run barrier in their second innings.

Stokes, for his part, stated that he was not overly disappointed by the outcome and did not mind being outperformed by a side.

However, there is no reason to be too discouraged. We can accept being outskilled, and this week we have definitely been outskilled.

Read Also: Gill’s India Send Strong Warning to England

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