New Delhi: Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has termed India’s narrow defeat in the first Test against England at Headingley as a “tough pill to swallow”, pointing to squandered chances and tail-end collapses as decisive factors in the five-wicket loss.
Under the new leadership of head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill, India entered a new era in red-ball cricket, beginning their five-Test tour of England without the seasoned presence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. And while the fresh-look squad showed flashes of brilliance over four days, the match ultimately slipped out of their grasp on the final day.
“You don’t get in positions like this very often and blow it,” Shastri told Sky Sports. “India had a firm grip and a chance to take England out of the contest. Letting it slip from there will sting. The tail needs to show more fight—put a price on their wicket.”
India’s loss was all the more frustrating because of the position they had carved out for themselves. They had England under pressure multiple times, but a spate of missed catches—eight in total—and poor lower-order resistance in both innings left the door open for an English comeback.
England capitalised. Chasing a daunting 371-run target, the hosts completed the chase inside 82 overs, riding on Ben Duckett’s explosive 149, Joe Root’s unbeaten 54, and Jamie Smith’s quickfire 44 off 37 balls*.
India’s bowlers, led by Jasprit Bumrah, gave their all, but the lack of support from the rest of the attack—along with dropped chances—proved decisive.
Despite the bitter defeat, Shastri emphasized the need to draw positives from the match, particularly the performance of India’s top order. The batting unit looked solid, with five centuries scored across the two innings—Yashasvi Jaiswal (101), Shubman Gill (147), KL Rahul (137), and Rishabh Pant (134 & 118).
“The coaching staff has a role to play now—take the positives and build on them,” Shastri said. “Gill has done more than what could be expected of him as captain. He led from the front with a century. The dropped catches and collapses aren’t on him.”
With England now leading the five-Test series 1-0, India will head to Birmingham’s Edgbaston for the second Test under pressure to bounce back. Questions remain over fielding, lower-order batting, and team composition. But the promise shown by India’s young leaders and top-order batters has offered hope that the series is far from lost.
As Ravi Shastri concluded: “This team is talented, but they’ll have to be ruthless to win in England. The next Test is their chance to show that.”
Sorry, there was a YouTube error.
