ENG vs IND: 3 Indian players who flopped in the fifth Test
Team India lost the rescheduled fifth Test at Edgbaston against England after an arguably lackluster bowling performance in the second innings. Joe Root (142*) and Jonny Bairstow (114*) stitched together a match-winning partnership of 269 runs against the visitors to ensure a seven-wicket victory over them.
Having set a challenging target of 378, the Men in Blue hoped to rattle England in the fourth innings to win the Test series. However, the Ben Stokes-led unit came out with a determined mindset and went after India's bowling attack.
England win the Edgbaston Test by 7 wickets.
A spirited performance by #TeamIndia as the series ends at 2-2.
#ENGvIND https://t.co/fNiAfZbSUN
Openers Alex Lees (56) and Zak Crawley (46) put up a 100-run stand and provided a platform for the likes of Root and Bairstow to capitalize on. The Yorkshire duo hit the bowlers all around the park to record their highest run chase in Test cricket.
While players like skipper Jasprit Bumrah and deputy Rishabh Pant put on a brave performance, others faltered against the English unit.
On that note, let's take a look at the three Indian players who flopped in the recently-concluded Test match at Edgbaston.
#3 Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer's maiden overseas Test didn't go as well as he would have liked. After a hot run in the home series against New Zealand and Sri Lanka, he was expected to fire on all cylinders at Edgbaston. However, the right-handed batter looked out of sorts during both the Indian innings.
While he didn't make any significant contributions with the bat, it was his manner of dismissal that let him and his fans down. Over the course of his stay, Iyer was peppered with short balls consistently and certainly didn't look comfortable at the crease.
Brendon McCullum straightaway told England to go for the short ball tactic against Shreyas Iyer. https://t.co/rMGluifmMM
Iyer scored 15 runs off 10 balls in the first innings before he edged a short delivery that went down the leg side to Sam Billings. His weakness against short-pitched deliveries was exposed yet again by the English bowlers during the second innings.
Ben Stokes put a ring of fielders on the leg side and asked Matthew Potts to keep bowling short to the right-handed batter. Arguably aware of the trap, Iyer decided to take on the short ball and was dismissed for a 26-ball 19.
#2 Shardul Thakur
Chosen ahead of Ravichandran Ashwin for the encounter, Shardul Thakur was another player who didn't perform as per expectations.
A good right-arm seamer with the ability to swing the willow, Thakur could've been a vital cog for India. However, his performance left the fans disappointed as he failed to make an impact with either bat or ball.
Playing as the fourth pacer, Thakur wasn't able to mount pressure on the opposition and gave away too many loose deliveries. His economy of 6.9 in the first innings and 5.9 in the second innings was on the expensive side as well.
A spectacular turnaround from Shardul Thakur.
Drops Ben Stokes off Shami's bowling and then picks up his wicket soon enough, courtesy an excellent catch from Jasprit Bumrah.
Live - bit.ly/ENGvIND-5THTEST #ENGvIND https://t.co/kf7N54dUbl
While he did have a wicket to show in the first innings, Thakur went wicketless in the second innings.
The Maharashtra-born all-rounder had nothing to show with the willow either, as he registered scores of 1 and 4 across both innings.
#1 Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli's wait for his 28th Test century continued as he scored 11 and 20, respectively, at Edgbaston. The veteran batter has struggled to score runs over the last couple of years and his lack of form is an alarming sign for Indian cricket.
Despite showing promise in both innings, the former Indian skipper failed to cash in on the opportunity and succumbed to England's bowling attack.
Kohli came out to bat when India were in a spot of bother at 46-2 during the first innings. The right-hander started off the proceedings with two boundaries before falling prey to indecision. He came forward to defend the out-swinger but decided to leave the ball at the last moment. As Kohli pulled his bat back, the ball sliced off the face and ricocheted onto the stumps. His dismissal had India reeling at 71-4.
🏴 Jonny Bairstow has scored more Test runs in the last 25 days than Virat Kohli has in the last 18 months.
#ENGvIND https://t.co/ncPhGMywLO
When Kohli's next chance to bat came along, he looked in sublime touch and played some exquisite strokes. He hit four boundaries, thereby giving fans a glimmer of hope. However, their hopes soon turned to disappointment when the ace Indian batter was caught behind off a short-pitched delivery from Ben Stokes.
While Kohli couldn't have done much about that delivery, his failure in the Test match pushed him further away from recouping his batting form.