India and the tail that doesn't wag

Hindustan Times

5 hours ago

New Delhi: There are many reasons why India became the first team to lose a Test after scoring five centuries. It could be the poor catching. It could be the tactically-inept coaching. It could be inexperienced captaincy. It could simply be because England were the better side. You can take your pick but there is no denying that the visitors had chances to take charge but showed a damning frailty when it mattered the most. Both India captain Shubman Gill and coach Gautam Gambhir identified that they missed out on some runs from the lower middle-order in both innings. (AP)
In the first innings, India were cruising at 430/3. The fans were smiling and looking at this young team in a new light. Yashasvi Jaiswal (101), skipper Shubman Gill (147) and Rishabh Pant (134) had done enough to give the team a solid platform. Then, they went from 430/3 to 471 all out with the last five wickets contributing just 18 runs.
This was the moment head coach Gautam Gambhir felt India lost control of the game. 'If we could've got to 570, 580 in the first innings, we could've dominated from there,' he said. He isn't wrong, a total in that range would have piled the pressure on the hosts and maybe put a loss out of the picture.
A repeat performance followed in the second innings. India cruising at 333/4 – thanks to hundreds by KL Rahul (137) and Pant (118) – collapsed to 364 all out with the last five wickets adding just 29 runs.
In the post-match chat, Gill revealed that India had aimed for a target 'around 435'.
On both occasions, India were in command but when it was time to hammer home the advantage, they collapsed. For context, England's last five wickets contributed 116 runs in the first innings and the unbroken sixth wicket stand was worth 71 in the second innings. The Headingley pitch was good for batting but there is no guarantee it will be the case for the remaining Tests, and as the series goes on these moments will resonate more loudly.
So much of sport is about confidence and after the first Test one can be sure England will fancy their chances against the Indian tail. Josh Tongue got the stumps in play and that was the perfect tactic.
Gambhir, though, doesn't want to blame anyone.
'First of all, I'll tell you it's not that they were not applying themselves,' he said. 'Sometimes people fail, and that's okay. I know it is disappointing, and more importantly they are more disappointed than anyone. Because they knew that we had the opportunity. I'm not going to sit here and single out 'it's because of the tail' or 'the tail couldn't contribute' or '8, 9, 10, 11 couldn't contribute'. We lose together, we win together.
'It's not like they're not working hard in the nets. These things happen. Even proper batters fail. Hopefully they'll learn, and hopefully we'll get better performances from our tail. And that is not the only reason we lost the Test.'
Not 'the only reason' but a big reason for sure. It will be easy to say that they need to put a price on their wicket but swing and seam can present a very different challenge for India's lower order.
During the Anthony de Mello Trophy (England in India) in 2023/24, India's lower order scored 927 runs in the series at a solid average of 25.75. But even home comfort deserted them against New Zealand where the lower order averaged 12.26.
Of late, the grit has been even more difficult to come by away from home. In Australia 2024/25, the lower order (6-11) averaged 17.83 despite Nitish Reddy scoring some good runs. In South Africa 2023/24, the average was just 10.46.
The conditions are tough but this is precisely where runs from the lower order can make a big difference. In the second Test at Nottingham in 2011, India had England on the ropes at 124/8 before Stuart Broad (64) and Graeme Swann (28) helped the hosts reach 221. In response, India made 288 before England piled on 544 in their second essay. In the fourth innings, India were bowled out for 158. The series was lost 4-0.
At Southampton in 2018, England were 86/6 before rearguard action by Sam Curran (78), playing in just his fourth Test, helped them reach 246. India failed to cash in and the hosts won by 60 runs. The series was lost 4-1. These are just two examples that India need to learn from. Hang in there, score the ugly runs if that is what it takes.
Maybe this is a learning curve for some of the newer members in the team but it isn't something the team management needs to spell out.
For now, Gambhir wants to fall back on an intangible called pride. 'Every defeat is bad. It's not about a young team or an experienced team. It's an Indian team. We take pride in winning each and every game for our country. A young team is not an excuse. We represent 140 crore proud Indians. We will try and give our absolute best. There are no excuses. We will turn up every Test thinking that we can win the Test and win the series.'
Come the second Test at Edgbaston, India will hope the gap between Gambhir's dream and India's reality won't be as huge as it was at Headingley. If it is, the players and the fans might be in for a very long series.