Gautam Gambhir Stands by India's Tail-End After Test Defeat to England
Gambhir Defends Team After Opening Test Loss
Leeds [UK], June 25: Following a disappointing start to the Test series, India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir expressed his support for the lower-order batsmen despite their struggles during the opening match against England at Headingley.
India faced a five-wicket defeat, placing them 1-0 behind in the five-match series. England achieved a remarkable 371-run chase on the final day, led by Ben Duckett's impressive 149 runs, Joe Root's steady 53*, and Jamie Smith's aggressive 44*.
Reflecting on the match, Indian players will likely look back and regret the missed chances that came their way. In addition to dropping catches, the performance of India’s tail-end batting was underwhelming, which allowed England to gain the upper hand.
In their first innings, India appeared strong with a score of 430/3 but ultimately collapsed to 471. A similar scenario occurred in the second innings, where they lost their last six wickets for just 31 runs, finishing with 364. Gambhir refrained from blaming any specific area but encouraged the tail-end to improve their batting in future matches.
“They are putting in the effort during practice. Sometimes, such things happen. Even the best batsmen can falter. I hope they learn from this and we see better performances from our tail. However, this wasn’t the sole reason for our loss; there were other critical moments where we could have secured the win,” Gambhir stated in the post-match press briefing.
The disparity in performance between India’s top five batsmen and the lower order was evident. The top half scored a total of 721 runs, including five centuries, while the lower order managed only 65 runs, compounding India’s difficulties.
“Everyone aims to contribute, whether with bat, ball, or in the field. I won’t point fingers at anyone. It’s not just the tail’s failure that led to our loss; we win and lose as a team. It’s the first Test, and nerves can play a part,” he added.
After a challenging start to Shubman Gill’s captaincy, India will aim to level the series in Birmingham next week.