India’s journey in the new World Test Championship cycle began on a sour note. Despite having a solid grip on the game on several occasions, they ended up on the losing side in the 1st Test against England at Headingley.
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Bumrah was brilliant with the ball as he took a fifer in the first innings, but he did not get enough support from his colleagues. KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant scored centuries. Gill impressed as a young captain. But still, India couldn’t hold it together.
England chased 371 comfortably, and the result left many fans asking the same thing: how did India lose this match? Let’s look at the three big reasons why India lost the match.
Three reasons why India lost first match of the series at Headingley
India’s batting collapses in both innings:
India’s batters had a good start in both innings. In the first innings, centuries from Jaiswal and Gill gave India control, while Pant’s ton made it even better. But then came the batting collapse. India were 430 for 3 at one point and then everything went wrong. They lost their last seven wickets for only 41 runs.
It wasn’t just one collapse either. In the second innings, KL Rahul made a superb 137, while Pant again played a solid hand, but once Rahul got out, India lost their last six wickets for just 31 runs.
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Poor fielding:
India’s fielding was below par throughout the Test. Jaiswal led the list of dropped catches among Indian players as he let four catches slip through his hands.
Rishabh Pant and Sai Sudharsan were also guilty of slipper fingers, while a seasoned fielder like Ravindra Jadeja dropped a dolly.
Over-reliance on Bumrah:
Jasprit Bumrah gave everything in this match. He picked up five wickets in the first innings, bowled with heart in the second too, and tried to lead from the front. But he didn’t get enough help.
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Siraj and Prasidh Krishna weren’t consistent, and the support from Jadeja wasn’t enough to keep the pressure on. England batters looked far too comfortable once they saw off Bumrah’s spells.