India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir gave his support to the lower-order batsmen after the team’s batting fell apart in both innings during the first Test against England at Headingley. The team lost by five wickets and now trails 1-0 in the five-match series. England made a historic run chase of 371 runs on the last day, thanks to Ben Duckett’s 149, Joe Root’s steady 53, and Jamie Smith’s quickfire 44.
Indian players will be reflecting on their missed chances. Besides dropping catches, the tail-end performance was lackluster, giving England the chance to take control. In the first innings, India looked strong at 430/3 but ended up all out for 471. The second innings saw them lose their last six wickets for just 31 runs, settling for 364. Gambhir didn’t blame any one area but expressed hope that the tail-enders would learn from this and do better next time.
“They’re working hard in the nets. Sometimes this happens. Even the best batters fail too. I’m hopeful they’ll learn, and we’ll see better performances from them. That wasn’t the only reason we lost; there were other moments where we could have turned the game in our favor,” Gambhir said in the press conference.
India’s batting troubles highlighted the gap between the top five batters and the lower order. The top order scored 721 runs, with five centuries, while the rest managed only 65, adding to the team’s pain. Gambhir noted, Everyone wants to contribute, whether it’s with the bat, ball, or in the field. I’m not going to point fingers. It’s not just because the lower order couldn’t score that we lost. We win and lose as a team. This was the first Test, and nerves were obviously a factor.”
After a close loss in his debut as captain, Shubman Gill will look to even the series in Birmingham next week.