IND vs ENG 2021: "The scars are very wide open" - Andrew Strauss reacts to England's batting collapse
Former England batsman Andrew Strauss highlighted England's batting woes in the wake of a collapse at the end of Day 1 of the first Test at Trent Bridge.
Opting to bat first, the hosts were all out for a mere 183 runs. Indian pacers bowled exceedingly well to keep the already fragile English batting under check. Jasprit Bumrah returned with four wickets while Mohammed Shami (3/28), Shardul Thakur (2/41) and Mohammed Siraj (1/48) contributed as well.
Speaking at the end of the day's play, Andrew Strauss admitted it was heartbreaking to see England succumb to the pressure. He said:
"I thought that Indian bowlers were outstanding today. Hunted in packs and they were very accurate, they built pressure on England batsmen. It's very hard not to feel dejected if you are an England fan right now. Those issues we have had about batting come right to the surface on Day 1 of the series."
"There's still a lot of cricket obviously to be played in this Test match but the scars are very wide open now," Andrew Strauss added.
England's top-order, who was once again in the spotlight, failed to deliver the goods. While Rory Burns was out for a duck in the first over, Dom Sibley (18) and Zak Crawley (27) failed to convert the starts.
"The pressure always falls on Joe Root to hold the team together" - Andrew Strauss
England skipper Joe Root once again rescued his side with a brilliant half-century. However, he lacked support from the other end with Dan Lawrence and Jos Buttler getting out for ducks.
Andrew Strauss stressed that the same problem has occurred time and again in the last 18 months where the England openers have struggled for consistency. Incidentally, England's top-order batsmen Rory Burns averages 37 in 2021 while Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley average only 21.25 and 10.25 respectively.
"It is a recurring thing. We have seen a lot of this over the last 18 months. What i struggle with is these batsmen got in and then got out. You look at Sibley, who battled hard for 18, you look at Crawley who got 27, you look at Bairstow who got 29. They got out and then new batsmen come in and that gives Indian bowlers something to work with," Andrew Strauss continued.
If you get in go big and England haven't done that for a long time now and yet again it falls on Joe Root to hold the team together. When you are a captain you don't wanna have to be forced to be you all the time," he signed off.
Meanwhile, India ended the day unscathed at 21/0. They trail by 162 runs with all their wickets intact.