Who said what - top 5 expert reactions to India's loss to England in 1st Test ft. Michael Vaughan
India lost the first Test of a five-match series to England by 28 runs in Hyderabad, even after establishing a 190-run lead in the first innings. Ollie Pope, who was adjudged player of the match, scored a match-winning 196 in the second innings, to help England post a total of 420. Tom Hartley also impressed on his debut with figures of 7/62 in the final innings of the match.
India were not only pre-match favorites but had a firm grip on the game during the first two days of the Test. Experts and fans alike gave their two cents on what they felt went wrong for the hosts and how the visitors capitalized on that to lead the five-match series 1-0.
In this article, we will look at the top five expert reactions to India's loss to England in the first Test.
#1 "Still think India are favorites to win the series": Michael Vaughan
Despite England winning the first Test, Michael Vaughan still believes that India are the favorites to win the series. The last time England won a Test series on Indian soil was back in 2012, and since then, the Indian red-ball team has become much stronger. He also said that the Men in Blue should avoid preparing pitches that greatly benefit spinners.
In his column for The Telegraph, Vaughan wrote:
"I still think India are favorites to win the series, because they will react. But India will be second-guessing themselves about what pitches to prepare. I don’t know how the pitches can turn any more than this one did – it ragged."
He continued:
"I said before the series I thought India were better off preparing a flatter wicket than one with more turn."
Michael Vaughan is a cricketer-turned-commentator. He is a former England captain and led his nation to the famous 2005 Ashes win, which was the nation's first Test series win against Australia in 18 years.
#2 "Rohit Sharma had to do a job that Sachin Tendulkar did for many years": Sanjay Manjrekar
Sanjay Manjrekar has stated that Rohit Sharma needed to single-handedly carry the young and inexperienced batting lineup during the 231-run target chase in the first Test. He said that Sachin Tendulkar played a similar role for several years during his career.
Manjrekar told ESPNcricinfo:
"You saw Yashasvi Jaiswal got 80 at a strike rate of 100. In the second innings, for no reason, the strike rate was 40. The one reason has to be that they came in to bat feeling the pressure. That is where Rohit Sharma had to do a job that Sachin Tendulkar did for many years — be that one batter to take care."
Speaking on how the Indian batters were extra cautious, Manjrekar said:
"India once again erred on the side of too much caution. If you've got players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, or Shreyas Iyer, who project themselves as attacking players, then no matter what the situation, they've got to stick to that style because that is something they are more comfortable with. And if in that endeavour India lose a match, the fans also have to be understanding that they tried to play what they were good at."
The cricketer-turned-commentator urged Shubman Gill to take a leaf out of Ollie Pope's book and learn to alter his approach.
Manjrekar said:
"There was one very important difference in the way he (Pope) played in the first as opposed to the second. He still trusted his front foot game, but if you look at the first few balls that he faced, he got onto the front foot, but it was a very purposeful reaction and effort where he was looking for ones and twos; he was looking to score. That's something Shubman Gill could incorporate into his batting because he also likes to get onto the front foot."
Sanjay Manjrekar is a former middle-order batter who played 37 Tests and 74 ODIs from 1987 to 1996. He has been working as a commentator since his retirement.
#3 "Jasprit Bumrah is phenomenal, there is no doubt about that, but what are the others doing": Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra said that the Indian spinners were underwhelming in the first Test against England, and it seemed that they were used to playing on rank turners. He gave Jasprit Bumrah credit for finding ways to get wickets even when the pitch wasn't suited to pacers.
Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel:
"If we talk about the bowling, when England started playing reverse and switch sweeps, we didn't have an answer. It seems like we have gotten used to playing on rank turners. When we have to work a little hard, sometimes we are not imaginative enough."
He further said:
"At times, difficulties or bad times force you to think, make your imagination slightly fertile. It doesn't happen if things happen easily. Then you get used to it. If you see Bumrah, he had to think more as it wasn't a pitch for him. So he had to find ways to stay relevant."
Chopra continued breaking down the Indian bowling performance:
"Bumrah picked up four wickets. It was the fourth day of a Test match in India where the talk was about the turn, there your fast bowler picked up four wickets, and six wickets in the entire match. You had superior spin but the opposing spinners took 18 Indian wickets and the Indian spinners could take only 14 wickets."
He added:
"In the second innings, the Indian spinners could pick up only six wickets. That was a bit of a problem in my opinion. Jasprit Bumrah is phenomenal, there is no doubt about that, but what are the others doing - that's a question."
Aakash Chopra is a former cricketer who has turned into a commentator-cum-YouTuber following his retirement. He played 10 Test matches for the country.
#4 "England are a side not to be messed with": Nasser Hussain
Nasser Hussain praised England after their brilliant win in the first Test. The former England captain mentioned that the current national men's team is stubborn and not a side to be messed with.
Hussain wrote in his Sky Sports column:
"What I like about them is their stubbornness. If you doubt them, they'll double down on it and go even more stubborn. I think that is a good thing because if you're constantly listening to all the noise, all that's written and said, you flicker from one theory to another."
He added:
"The present regime know what they want. They're going to stick with that and even when they're behind, they will back the cricketers to turn it around. They have shown they are a side not to be messed with."
However, Hussain also said that he believes the hosts will come back strongly in the second Test and that this loss will serve as a wake-up call:
"India will probably rue their first innings. They got 436 but actually they could have got a lot more if not for some sloppy dismissals. They will come back. They are a very fine side and history tells you it will be tough for England here. But it is a wake-up call for India as England have shown Bazball can work in these conditions."
Nasser Hussain represented England in 96 Test matches and 88 ODIs. He served as captain of the red-ball team from 1999 to 2003. He started his commentating career within hours of announcing his retirement from cricket.
#5 "Shubman Gill wasn't trying to play shots at all": Parthiv Patel
Parthiv Patel has raised question marks on Shubman Gill's overly defensive approach in the first Test against England. He also pointed out the 24-year-old's technical flaw while defending and his inability to rotate the strike.
Patel said during a post-match discussion on Colors Cineplex:
"The way Shubman Gill was batting, especially the approach we saw in the first innings, he wasn't trying to play shots at all. If you don't try to score runs, international-level bowlers won't give you too many loose deliveries."
He added:
"You will have to show your skills there. It's fine if you are not hitting fours, you need to rotate the strike at least. If we talk technically as well, he defends with extremely hard hands. He needs to see how he can work on that."
Parthiv Patel is a cricketer-turned-commentator who also works as a scout for the Mumbai Indians. He played 25 Tests and 38 ODIs for the Men in Blue.