Gambhir Defends India's Lower Order After Test Collapse, Cites Fielding Lapses

Following India's recent Test defeat, head coach Gautam Gambhir has voiced his support for the team's lower order, despite their struggles in crucial moments.

Missed catches hurt India's chances in the Test match. © Getty

India suffered a disappointing defeat at Headingley after England successfully chased down a target of 371 runs. This loss marks India's seventh in their last nine Tests. Despite scoring a total of 835 runs and featuring five centurions, including Rishabh Pant with a century in each innings, India fell short due to two significant batting collapses.

Key Innings Collapses

• First Innings: Lost 7 wickets for 41 runs.
• Second Innings: Lost 6 wickets for 31 runs.

These collapses proved detrimental, undermining India's chances of setting a more challenging target. Shubman Gill, who marked his captaincy debut with a century in the first innings, mentioned the team aimed for a target around 435. Gambhir, however, believed that a first-innings score of 570 or 580 would have placed India in a dominant position.

Gambhir's Perspective

Despite the lower order's struggles, Gambhir defended their efforts. Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna faced criticism for their shot selection, but Gambhir emphasized that failure is a part of the game.

"It's not that they weren't applying themselves. Sometimes people fail. And that's okay," Gambhir stated. He acknowledged the players' disappointment and their dedication to improvement, adding, "Even proper batters fail." He expressed hope that the lower order would learn from the experience and deliver better performances in the future.

Costly Dropped Catches

In addition to the batting collapses, India's fielding performance also played a role in the defeat. The team dropped as many as seven catches, with Yashasvi Jaiswal being a repeat offender. Ben Duckett, who was dropped on 97, went on to score a crucial 149, further highlighting the impact of these missed opportunities.

Gill acknowledged the dropped catches as an area needing improvement, especially on challenging wickets where chances are scarce. He expressed optimism that the young team would learn and improve in upcoming matches.

No Excuses

However, Gambhir dismissed the notion of using the team's youth as an excuse for the loss. He stressed the importance of winning every game for the country and emphasized that representing India comes with a responsibility to give their absolute best.

Bumrah's Workload Management

Gambhir also addressed the plans for Jasprit Bumrah, confirming that he would play only two more Test matches in the series to manage his workload. The decision on which two matches Bumrah would participate in remains to be determined. Gambhir expressed confidence in the team's bowling attack, even without Bumrah, stating that the squad is selected based on trust and belief in their abilities.