England vs India 2018, Tests: 3 reasons why India’s series defeat doesn’t come as a shock
India were riding high on confidence heading into this Test series. They were very convincing and competitive in the T20I series which they won 2-1, and they lost a closely fought ODI series 1-2.
And before this Test series under the Virat Kohli-Ravi Shastri combination, this Indian team dominated oppositions like Sri Lanka and West Indies away from home, and they managed to give South Africa a run for their money.
This tour of England was significant for Virat Kohli- the batsman and skipper. Firstly, he wanted to put away the ghosts of the 2014 tour and deliver with the bat, and more importantly, he wanted to prove to the world that this Indian team can come to England and beat the hosts.
But things did not go as per plan for Kohli’s men. A combination of some high-quality Test match cricket played by England coupled with some lacklustre performances from India meant that the visitors had lost the five-match Test series 1-3 with a match still to be played.
In what was a competitive Test series, England only completely outplayed India at Lord’s where the pitch and the conditions suited their bowlers which they used rather well.
Apart from that, India should have won the first Test match at the Edgbaston and they indeed could have won the Southampton Test too as the target of 245 wasn’t insurmountable.
Keeping the result of the Test series in mind, let us have a look at three reasons why India’s Test defeat doesn’t come as a shock.
#1 Emphasis on selection purely based on IPL performances backfired
It’s a known reality that performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) have become the main benchmark for selecting players to represent India across all formats. These players may shine in ODIs and T20Is and against weaker oppositions in Test matches.
But, are they capable and competent enough to face off against this English bowling line-up in conditions that favour swing and seam? Well, the answer is a resounding NO. Playing and performing in the IPL is one thing, but expecting the same players to succeed in the Test match format is asking for too much.
Players like KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, and Rishabh Pant are classic examples of this move of the Indian team management backfiring. Granted, Hardik Pandya’s bowling has been very impressive and was one of the main reasons India won at Nottingham, but he hasn’t shown consistency post that.
Rishabh Pant has looked completely out of sorts with the gloves and his shot selection especially in the second innings at Southampton where all he had to do was to support Ajinkya Rahane speaks for itself.
It was a tough start for him as a wicket-keeper, something he will learn a lot from, but his batting speaks volumes about the gaps in his technique when he's playing Test cricket.
When the challenge ahead is clearly visible, and India knew that they had to put their best foot forward to beat England, their insistence on going ahead with KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan and sending Murali Vijay back home after two poor games plays into England’s hands.
One can’t completely blame the likes of Rahul, Pandya and Pant but the thought process behind their selection must be questioned. It is this reason which makes India’s series defeat not too surprising in the end, as you need players with Test match quality to hold their own against England on their home turf, but these players don’t seem to be there skill-wise or temperament wise yet.