On the final day of the India vs England Test cricket, England once again showcased their fearless cricket – as they pulled off a thrilling run chase against India, leaving the visitors stunned and losing their first match under Shubman Gill’s captaincy. Chasing a challenging target of 350 in the fourth innings, England bounced back to register a memorable win, their second 370+ run chase against India in three years.
While India displayed some terrific batting – including five individual centuries – India failed to capitalise on the crucial moments, allowing England to stage a big comeback. The Indians were bowled out cheaply after good starts in both innings, getting bundled out for 471-10 in the first innings and 364-10 in the second.
Another major cause of concern for India was fielding. The team dropped more than six crucial catches, with opener Yashasvi Jaiswal missing four chances. Three in the first innings and one in the second. These missed chances allowed England to take advantage of the opportunity and build a partnership, which eventually turned the match in England’s favour.
After the match, Gill acknowledged India’s shortcomings. He admitted that we had chances. Dropping catches, lack of contribution from the lower order cost us. “Even today, I felt we had chances after a brilliant first wicket. But we didn’t succeed. We have to improve on that after losing the first match.”
Jasprit Bumrah, who led the bowling attack, performed well in the first innings while he failed to take a wicket in the second innings. Instead, Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur took two wickets each, while Ravindra Jadeja managed to dismiss Ben Stokes, but he could not perform consistently even in bad conditions.
The final blow to India came from a restrained partnership between Joe Root and young Jamie Smith. Root’s half-century and Smith’s 44 runs sealed the match for England.
