"Worst defeat under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum" - Michael Vaughan after IND vs ENG 3rd Test
Former England skipper Michael Vaughan reckons that the defeat to India in Rajkot was their worst under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum. The 48-year-old has called for England to play according to the situation instead of taking the aggressive route always.
Ben Stokes-led side tumbled to a 434-run loss on Day 4 (February 18) of the third Test in Rajkot in pursuit of an improbable 557. The tourists paid for their poor batting performance on the third morning, losing their final eight wickets for only 95 runs to collapse from 224-2 to 319. In the process, the tourists conceded a 126-run lead and India put them to the sword.
In his column for The Telegraph, Vaughan wrote that England squandered the golden opportunity in Rajkot. He reckons the management must be candid on how to bat better moving forward.
"England make out that everything is positive but they need to be having conversations about how to bat better. This was the worst defeat under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, and one that exposed their method. They cannot take the aggressive at every opportunity, they have to pick their moments.
"From the position England found themselves in on day three, India, with all their absentees, were there for the taking."
The Englishmen collapsed to 122 in the fourth innings as none of the top-order batters made a substantial score. The tourists ran the risk of getting all out before 100 if not for Mark Wood's 33.
"They need to look at the way Jaiswal and Shubman Gill played on day three" - Michael Vaughan
Vaughan also underlined that India's template has been perfect and that England can take a leaf out of that. The cricketer-turned-commentator added:
"They need to look at the way Jaiswal and Shubman Gill played on day three. They soaked up the pressure for 30 or 40 balls, and then they started to get boundaries. That is what Test batting is about. India have scored 875 runs in 228.5 overs. No one can tell me it’s been boring watching India bat here."
Ravindra Jadeja, who took a fifer and scored a century, earned the Player of the Match award in the third Test as India lead the five-match series 2-1.