The Indian cricket team is usually a formidable opponent. This bares true in all formats (Tests; ODIs and T20s). Teams usually succumb to the side that India field. However, quite lately that really hasn't been the case. No offence to any Indian fans reading this but they currently look a shadow of themselves. This was compunded this week with the 5 wicket loss to England in the 1st Test.
Despite having scored three centuries in the first innings and two in the second, India found themselves losing the Test match. Now, the Indian team has registered a never-seen-before record in the history of Test cricket. For the first-ever time in the 148-year-old Test history, a team has lost a Test match even after posting five individual centuries across the match.
It was the first time that five individual centuries came for India in a Test match. It was also only the sixth time that a team had five individual centuries across the two innings. However, none of the previous five times, a team lost a Test after posting five individual centuries.
Four individual centuries were the most when a team went on to lose a Test and that was Australia; who had four centuries in a Test in 1928/29 but went on to lose a game.
India head coach, Gautam Gambhir, did his best to remain civil after his side had blown a glittering chance to take a 1–0 lead into next week’s second Test at Edgbaston (Warwickshire) but the mask slipped when an Indian journalist — obligingly looking for positives — mentioned Rishabh Pant’s two hundreds at Headingley.
India’s head coach is edgy by nature and has feistiness in his DNA. Instead of accepting the half-volley, he heckled the hack for failing to mention the centuries scored by Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and KL Rahul. Insisting the "question could have been better," Gambhir appeared to be living out his own frustration.
India, the economic powerhouse of the global game and proud possessors of the T20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy, have now lost seven of their 11 Tests since Gambhir replaced Rahul Dravid — calmness personified — last July. Two of their three wins came at home to Bangladesh.
None of those defeats, though, will have stung quite like this; not even the improbable 3-0 loss to New Zealand in November that ended a 12-year unbeaten run at home. Lose in Birmingham and this tour could unravel altogether. It's a scenario which, at 430-3 on the second day in Leeds, would have seemed ludicrous.
Central to India’s dilemma is the rawness of Gill, their 25-year-old first-time captain; the fitness of Jasprit Bumrah, their unique spearhead and the relationship between them, as well as with Gambhir himself.
As the game approached its climax, Bumrah appeared to reject Gill’s suggestion that he enter the attack, with England still 30 short of victory and the second new ball two overs away. Gill, instead, had to make do with Shardul Thakur, who had induced home nerves by removing Ben Duckett and Harry Brook in two consecutive balls but otherwise failed to justify his selection. As far as Bumrah was concerned, the game was up.
Afterwards, Gambhir confirmed India’s plan to play their best bowler in only three of the five Tests, in a bid to manage the back complaint that laid him low towards the end of the series in Australia in January.
Given that Bumrah, like all touring cricketers, will be keen to play in the third Test at Lord’s, it's hard to see how he can also play at Edgbaston. If he sits out that game, England will fancy their chances of going 2-0 up. Quite simply, India had to win at Headingley, when Bumrah was at full pelt.
The situation is complicated by the fact that Bumrah would have been happy to assume the captaincy on a full-time basis, having stepped in at Sydney when Rohit Sharma left himself out. Were he now in charge, it's inconceivable he would've gone public with plans to miss Tests here, not least because circumstances may yet allow him to miss only one. The news has boosted English morale and shone an unforgiving light on the other seamers.
Back in India, former Test player, Irfan Pathan, lamented Prasidh Krishna’s economy-rate for the match of 6.28. "He is at no. 2 in terms of the worst economy for a fast bowler in history," said Pathan. "Bumrah has this economy in T20s."
Afterwards, Gambhir confirmed India’s plan to play their best bowler in only three of the five Tests, in a bid to manage the back complaint that laid him low towards the end of the series in Australia in January.
In his short stint as coach, Gambhir has confirmed the reputation he enjoyed as an opening batsman and, as an MP for the ruling BJP party, tough, uncompromising and prone to fallouts.
Two years ago, while team mentor for IPL franchise, Lucknow Super Giants, he had a high-profile post-match altercation with Virat Kohli of Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Last month, Kohli — the god of the Indian game — declined the chance to tour England under Gambhir’s watch and retired from Test cricket.
With Rohit also quitting, Gambhir can finally preside over a team devoid of superstars. In theory, Gill has more room to breathe. In practice, Gambhir is pulling the strings. Only one game in, their dynamic is already under scrutiny.
Speaking of India’s performance in the first Test, veteran India cricketer, Ravi Ashwin, opined that India made several selection blunders in the game.
"There is a big chance for Kuldeep to be played in the XI. I simply adore Shardul Thakur, but if he is not going to bowl at all till the 40th over in the 1st innings and is used sparingly in the Test... it means there was no need for the fourth fast bowler and you could have instead played a second spinner,” Ashwin said in a video on his YouTube channel.
"Honestly, there were a lot of chances for Kuldeep to have played this Test. We have seen high-scoring chases at Leeds. Say, for instance, today, Crawley and Duckett had a 150-run opening partnership. If Kuldeep had a bowl at them... of course, I am not saying he would have returned with a fifer. If he had ended up with 3/80, and Jadeja picked up 2/70, the game was over,” Ashwin said.
Former India player, Ravi Shastri, said that Virat Kohli was missed during the game. As England openers, Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley, batted through the first session on Day 5 to take England to 117 -0, Shastri said, "India need someone to do a Kohli. Should be someone designated. Kohli could do it for 3 people. Get in the face."
Another ex-India star, Madal Lal, too echoed Shastri's comment. "We were missing the passion and intensity Virat Kohli brought to the game. Ravi Shastri was right," wrote Madan Lal on X after India's loss to England.
Notably, both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma aren't a part of India's ongoing five-match Test series against England as the two retired from the format in May this year. Shubman Gill has been appointed the Test captain of India, while Rishabh Pant is his deputy.
Talking about the game, India's lower-order batting failed miserably as the side ended up losing the game by 5 wickets. During the first three days, only a draw or an Indian victory seemed possible but poor batting display saw India playing it on the hands of England. Ben Duckett scored 149 runs as the Three Lions chased down the target of 371 runs easily on the flat track in Leeds.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, despite scoring a ton for India in the 1st Test in Leeds, got quite a lot of flak due to his fielding follies. During the entire Test, India dropped as many as eight catching opportunities, which tipped the scales in England's favour. The eight dropped chances cost India a whopping 250 runs, a valuable tally that held the power to change the visitors' fate. Yashasvi Jaiswal was the prime offender with four dropped chances, followed by other top fielders.
Former India captain and batting legend, Sunil Gavaskar, wasn't pleased with the fielding of India. "I don't think there will be any medal given. T Dillip gives those after a match. This is what was really very, very disappointing. Yashasvi Jaiswal is a very good fielder but he hasn't been able to hold on to anything this time," Sunil Gavaskar, who was commentating, said.
Former England bowler, Stuart Broad, was also critical. "Crucially, and I mean this in the kindest possible way, they have to take their catches. They can't lob three or four of them on the floor when you're trying to get 10 wickets to take a Test match," he said.
Former India player, Mohammad Kaif, known for his excellent fielding in his heyday, explained the reason why opener Yashasvi Jaiswal may have dropped crucial catches during the India vs England 1st Test at Leeds. According to the veteran Kaif, the strap which Jaiswal has put around his hands may have a role to play in his dismal catching against the hosts.
"Why is Yashasvi Jaiswal dropping catches? We are practicing with Duke’s ball, and when we get hurt, we put a strap. In such a situation, the fingers are stuck and there is no free movement. You can’t hold onto the catch because the strap becomes a sponge. The ball bounces off it, so that’s the drawback. The natural connection with the ball shouldn’t be lost," he said on his YouTube channel.
However, former India fielding coach, R Sridhar, has come in defence of Yashasvi Jaiswal. "He's actually an excellent gully fielder. Make no mistake. He's had just two bad games — one in Melbourne, one here in Leeds. Otherwise, he's been exceptional. The catches he took against Bangladesh in Kanpur were outstanding. It's easy to sit in the commentary box and criticise; but these are challenging conditions and for many of them, it's their first experience of this environment,” he told Sportstar.
Sridhar, however, said that India's ground fielding level was not good at all. "The standard of ground fielding which is exhibited is not acceptable. Unlike catching, ground fielding is something which is totally in your control. You should know which ball to put your body behind, which ball to attack, which ball to play safe," he said.
"You know when to pick up the right cues, you know, based on the breeze. Wind is another big factor. As the television visuals showed, Leeds was extremely blustery and cold when we were fielding. But even then, Karun Nair took two brilliant catches, and so did KL Rahul."
The former coach urged everyone to show some patience with the Indian cricket team. "Going on the first tour to England and adapting and being a good slip fielder is not an easy task. You can practice all you want, but in the match, it's quite challenging. The conditions are very cold, so the fingers get very numb. And secondly, the Duke's ball wobbles a lot as it comes towards you. It's not easy to catch," he said.
Former India cricketer, Sanjay Manjrekar, has come out in support of India's seamers following team's five-wicket defeat to England in the first Test at Leeds but didn't hold back when it came to assessing Ravindra Jadeja's performance. While India's pacers toiled without much assistance from the surface, Manjrekar felt Jadeja missed a real opportunity to make a bigger impact, especially on the Day 5 pitch that could've offered help through the rough. "It's not fair to be overly critical of younger players like Prasidh Krishna - there are obvious areas for improvement," the former Indian cricketer said on the show, 'Match Centre Live' in JioHotstar.
"I am going to be critical of Ravindra Jadeja. This was a final-day pitch with rough patches for him to exploit. And while there were a couple of chances, we have to expect more from someone of his experience," he added.
Jadeja, India's lead spinner in the absence of Ravi Ashwin, struggled to create pressure through long spells and failed to extract consistent turn despite visible rough outside the left-hander's off stump. He ended the match with just one wicket, that of England captain, Ben Stokes, finishing with figures of 1/104 in 24 overs in the second innings. He remained wicketless in the first innings.
"These weren't typical English conditions where the pitch offers nothing," Manjrekar continued. "I felt he didn't use the rough nearly enough -- especially against Ben Duckett. Against Ben Stokes, yes, he did make an effort. But it was only much later in Duckett's innings that Jadeja started using the rough properly. When you're dealing with experienced bowlers and seasoned batters, you expect a higher level of tactical awareness. Somewhere, I felt Jadeja was disappointing," he said.
"The seamers had no help from the surface - but Jadeja at least had something in the pitch working in his favour," he added.
The next game of the series will start on 2 July in Birmingham. There are three players who could be dropped for the second game.
Shardul Thakur failed to prove his worth as a batter as well as a bowler. Thakur scored only five runs across two innings and picked upjust two wickets. That fact that he got to bowl only 16 overs in the entire game shows that captain Shubman Gill did not have much trust in his bowling abilities in Leeds.
Ravindra Jadeja scored 11 and 25 not out while picking up just one wicket in the match in Leeds. Despite there being enough rough patches on the surface, Jadeja failed to make the most out of the opportunity.
For Jasprit Bumrah, form is not a concern for the right-arm pacer; who picked up a five-wicket haul in the series-opener. India need to manage his workload well. They need him badly during the third match at Lord's and given that there is just a three-day gap betweeen the second and the third match, he might be rested for the Birmingham Test.
It seems that there's trouble all over the team. To me, it can only be tackled one at a time. The most logical first move for me would be to get a new coach. If this doesn't occur and these performances continue, there's no telling how low they will go.
I know I'm being extremely biased but hopefully this goes all the way to November when South Africa tour India for 2 Tests; 3 ODIs and 5 T20s. South Affrica might have a definitive edge if this happens.