England suffered a crushing 336-run defeat against India in the 2nd Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025, s India levelled the series in Birmingham.
After being asked to bat first, India posted 587 runs, led by Shubman Gill's 269 with supporting knocks of 87 and 89 from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ravindra Jadeja, respectively.
In response, the hosts could only score 407 runs, thanks to an unbeaten 184 from Jamie Smith and 158 from Harry Brook before Shubman Gill added another 161 in the second innings, extending India’s lead to 607 runs.
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England's resistance crumbled on the final day, as they failed to last even two sessions in their chase for a draw. Check out how skipper Ben Stokes justified the home side's defeat.
What did Ben Stokes say after the Edgbaston loss against India?
When asked about the pitch that was prepared for the match at BBC's Test Match Special following the defeat, Stokes pointed out that it felt like a subcontinent wicket as the match progressed.
The 34-year-old also thought Indians, being being more familiar with similar conditions, exploited them better than England did in the Test.
"To be honest, it probably ended up being a bit of a subcontinent pitch as it got deeper and deeper into the game. You know, there was a little bit in it to start off with, and I think we exposed that very well, early on," felt Stokes.
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"Then just as it got deeper and deeper, it became a real tough slog for us. Obviously, with the Indian attack in conditions in conditions that they're used to, they knew how to expose those conditions a little bit better than we," he added.
He also acknowledged that England were outclassed skill-wise by India over the course of the five days of the Edgbaston Test match.
"That can happen sometimes, but it's nothing to be too disheartened about. We can take being out-skilled, and we have certainly been out-skilled this week," the England captain admitted.
How did Ben Stokes perform in the second Test vs India?
On a personal level, Stokes followed up his golden duck in the first innings with a 33 in the second, as England attempted to save the game at Edgbaston. With the ball, he only managed 1-for-100 in the second Test.
Next, the two sides will face off at the Lord’s on July 10, after a three-day rest between matches.