Stokes' Leadership: Unwavering Faith and Unity Propel England to Triumph

Although Ben Stokes seldom displays emotion on the pitch, the England captain did grin briefly at the press conference on Sunday. Although Stokes had been doing the most of the answers, Ollie Pope was standing next to him.

Prior to this, Stokes couldn't contain his excitement when Rahul Dravid praised Pope, claiming he hadn't "seen a better exhibition of sweeping and reverse sweeping in these conditions" against a strong bowling attack.

Stokes turned to face Pope and exclaimed, "Wow, that's phenomenal."

The thing that has made Bazball so successful is his ability to take great delight in the work that his colleagues have done. When they were 190 runs down when they were reduced to 163/5 in their second innings, any other skipper would have folded. But Stokes did not; he trusted Pope and his escorts.

He supports his gut and has faith in his colleagues. Former English captains never supported Stokes' choice to field three spinners and one fast bowler, but Stokes stuck with Tom Hartley even after Yashasvi Jaiswal gave him a warm reception in Test cricket by hitting two sixes in his first over.

Hartley let up 34 runs in his first three overs, but the youngster gained confidence from Stokes' belief in him. He only made him aware of his significance and skill, without forcing him out of the assault.

When the child was struggling with nervousness, he understood what it was like to be a rookie and gave him the confidence and fortitude he needed.

It explains not only Hartley's nine wickets on debut but also the achievements of numerous young English players in the current team. Stokes has made them feel 10 feet tall and shown the power that unwavering faith can have.

After a costly period in the first innings (2/131), the gamble on Hartley paid off as he gained control of his length. After taking a few of early wickets, he changed as a bowler.

It's important to Stokes to acknowledge the players' work. On the walk back to the pavilion when the last Indian wicket fell, he never failed to applaud each player personally, even after giving up such a commanding first-innings advantage. He chose to live in the now rather than letting the immense burden of the work at hand get to him.

"I suppose a lot of people will simply take away a message from it. It's clear that unless you act upon what you say, they remain just words. However, if you do the walk after talking the talk, it's remarkable what you can get out of people "said Stokes after his "No. 1 triumph."

"After handing Tom the fresh ball, I made the decision that, whatever occurred, this was going to be a lengthy time. I was aware that he would need to bowl once more, perform another spell. That was his debut spell in a Test match against a top-tier squad with excellent spin players.

"I was dedicated to it, but who can say whether that's the reason he's taken nine wickets, including seven in the second innings, and bowled us to victory? However, it all comes back to what I said earlier—believing in someone's ability. What can happen when people believe in themselves is astounding."

In the run-up to the Test, Stokes' spirit of unity saw him defend the side's youngest player, Shoaib Bashir, when he was unable to enter India due to a visa problem.

"When I first found the news out in Abu Dhabi I did say we shouldn't fly until Bash gets his visa but that was a little bit tongue in cheek," Stokes said.

Stokes left an indelible impression on the young spinner, making Bashir feel valued. Since then, he has joined the team and is eager to contribute.

It seems sense, therefore, that the players are ready to dash over stone walls to get to Stokes. Bazball is more than simply aggressive cricket; it's about defending the players and following the strategy.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Press Time staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.