England v India: Ben Stokes says 'teams won't be braver than us' after record win

There are no teams "braver than us" in Test cricket, says England captain Ben Stokes after his side chased a record 378 to beat India at Edgbaston.

Unbeaten centuries from Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow took England to their highest-ever run chase in Tests.

It was England's fourth successive chase of more than 275 this summer following a 3-0 series clean sweep of world Test champions New Zealand.

"It is phenomenal," Stokes told BBC Test Match Special.

"I wish people could understand what is going on in this changing room right now - it is incredible."

Needing another 119 from their overnight 259-3, England coasted with incredible ease to a seven-wicket win and secured a 2-2 draw in the series that was postponed last summer.

Root ended with 142 not out, while Bairstow made an unbeaten 114 - his fourth century in his last five innings and sixth ton in 2022.

"A great way to explain it is that teams are perhaps better than us, but teams won't be braver than us," said Stokes.

"Jack Leach said that to me and it is a great way to sum things up at the moment."

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England have had a remarkable turnaround from a run of just one win in 17 Tests before their series against New Zealand started in June, when Stokes took over the captaincy from Root and Brendon McCullum was appointed coach.

"When you've got real clarity in what you want to achieve as a team and how you want to play it makes things a lot easier," said Stokes.

"We knew we were always going to go out and try and chase that down."

Stokes and McCullum have instilled a sense of belief and positivity in the dressing room, and the results have been extraordinary in chasing down targets of 277, 299, 296 and 378.

One of the biggest changes has been evident in opener Alex Lees, who has played more positively this summer compared to his reserved showings in his debut Test series in the West Indies in March.

Lees and Zak Crawley made a century partnership in 19.5 overs on day four, the fastest England have ever reached 100 without loss in Test cricket.

Stokes said that when he informed Lees of that record, his Durham team-mate responded: "We'll break it."

"What they did at the top, against Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, was phenomenal," added Stokes.

"That is not an easy thing - it will probably get overlooked but so much credit has to go to them."

On day four, Crawley was bowled by Bumrah, Ollie Pope fell to the first ball after tea and Lees was run out following a mix-up with Root as England lost three wickets for just two runs.

But Root and Bairstow continued their remarkable runs of form, with the latter hitting his second century of the match in an unbroken stand of 269 to secure victory before lunch on day five.

Root now has 28 Test tons, the most of any active batter in the world, one ahead of Australia's Steve Smith and India's Virat Kohli.

"We're really starting to see how big an impact playing like this can have on this format of the game," said Root.

"I would imagine there will be sides around the world looking at the way we've been playing, a little bit intimidated by what we're capable of doing.

"It can only breed more confidence if sides are wary of what we're capable of."