India's Lower Order Under Fire After Test Collapse; Coach Gambhir Offers Support

After a disappointing defeat at Headingley, India's head coach Gautam Gambhir has voiced his support for the team's lower order, despite their batting collapses. The Indian cricket team suffered a 371-run chase defeat against England.

India's batting lineup faltered twice in the match, leading to a significant loss. The team lost 7 wickets for 41 runs in the first innings and 6 for 31 in the second.

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

Shubman Gill's Perspective

Shubman Gill, who marked his captaincy debut with a century in the first innings, mentioned that the team was aiming for a target of around 435 runs. Gambhir, however, believes that the game's direction shifted much earlier.

Gautam Gambhir's Assessment

"If we could've got to 570, 580 in the first innings, we could've dominated from there," Gambhir stated. Despite the lower order's performance, Gambhir defended their efforts, emphasizing that failures are a part of the game. Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna's dismissals were noted, but Gambhir maintained a supportive stance.

Gambhir's Statement

"Look, first of all, it's not that they weren't applying themselves. Sometimes people fail. And that's okay," Gambhir said. He acknowledged the disappointment within the team and highlighted their hard work. "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 match."

Impact of Dropped Catches

Another significant factor in India's defeat was their catching performance. The team missed seven catches, with Yashasvi Jaiswal dropping several crucial opportunities. Ben Duckett, who was dropped on 97, went on to score a match-defining 149. Gill stressed the importance of rectifying these errors in future matches.

Gill's Reflection

"Yes, that was something that we spoke about," Gill said. "But when you are out there in the middle, it happens so quickly...Chances don't come easy, especially on wickets like these, and we dropped quite a few catches...hopefully, in the next matches, we'll be able to improve on those aspects."

No Excuses from Gambhir

Gambhir dismissed the 'young team' narrative as an excuse for the loss. "Every defeat is bad...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 can win the Test match and win the series."

Bumrah's Workload Management

Gambhir also confirmed that Jasprit Bumrah would play only two more Test matches to manage his workload, a decision made before the series began. The team is yet to decide which matches Bumrah will participate in.

Confidence in the Bowling Attack

"[Even without Bumrah] we absolutely have the bowling attack [to compete]. We believe in them. We trust in them...those are inexperienced bowlers but they will keep getting better...We believe and we trust that these boys will deliver for us," Gambhir concluded.