Batting Collapse Not Sole Reason for Test Loss, Says Gambhir, Defending India's Lower Order

India's hopes crumbled on the final day at Headingley, succumbing to a clinical run chase by England. Despite controlling much of the game, India's inability to decisively close out opportunities led to a painful defeat, their seventh in the last nine Test matches.

After scoring 835 runs and witnessing five individual centuries, including a century in each innings from Rishabh Pant, India still fell short. The key factor? Two significant batting collapses.

India lost 7 wickets for 41 runs in the first innings and 6 for 31 in the second. The first collapse prevented India from establishing a commanding lead after winning the toss, allowing England to stay within striking distance. The second collapse left India defending a manageable 371, a target England chased down with ease.

India dropped crucial catches throughout the Test match on a surface that didn't offer a lot of help. © Getty

Captain Shubman Gill revealed the team aimed for a target of around 435. However, head coach Gautam Gambhir believed that a first-innings total of 570 or 580 would have secured dominance.

Despite the lower order's struggles, Gambhir defended their application. Shardul Thakur's expansive shots and Prasidh Krishna's attempted slog sweep led to their dismissals.

Gambhir's Perspective

"It's not that they weren't applying themselves. Sometimes people fail, and that's okay," Gambhir stated. "They were more disappointed than anyone because they knew we had the opportunity. It's not like they're not working hard. Even proper batters fail. Hopefully, they'll learn, and we'll get better performances from our tail. But that's not the only reason we lost."

Catching Woes

India's catching performance was also a major concern. They dropped seven catches, with Yashasvi Jaiswal being a repeat offender. Ben Duckett, dropped on 97, capitalized and scored a crucial 149. Gill acknowledged the need for improved standards.

"We spoke about it," Gill said. "But it happens so quickly. We have to rectify it in the upcoming matches. Chances don't come easy, especially on wickets like these. We have a young, learning team, and hopefully, we'll improve."

No Excuses

Gambhir dismissed the "young team" narrative as an excuse. "Every defeat is bad, regardless of the team's experience. We represent 140 crore proud Indians. We will try and give our absolute best. There are no excuses. We will turn up every Test match thinking that we can win."

Bumrah's Workload Management

Gambhir confirmed that Jasprit Bumrah would only play two more Test matches, adhering to a pre-series plan for workload management. The decision on which matches Bumrah will play is yet to be made.

"Managing his workload is more important because there's a lot of cricket going forward," Gambhir explained. "It was already decided that he's going to play three Test matches. We believe in our bowling attack, even without Bumrah. We pick the squad on trust, not on hope. These inexperienced bowlers will keep getting better. We were in a position to win this Test match for the first four days, even on day five. We trust that these boys will deliver."