England captain Joe Root made a stunning admission that his leadership was found wanting under pressure after India grabbed a 151-run second Test win, while Root’s national media turned on him with a vengeance.
Root hit an unbeaten 180 in the first innings to keep his side alive in the Lord’s Test but couldn’t stop India snatching away momentum.
England surrendered a potentially match-winning position on the fifth morning, allowing tailenders Mohammed Shami (56 not out) and Jasprit Bumrah (34 not out) to hit career-best scores in a game-changing, unbroken ninth-wicket stand of 89.
Joe Root (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
When India skipper Virat Kohli declared at 8-298 to set England 272 off 60 overs for victory, the pressure was on the home side. Root made 33 in his second dig before being caught behind off the third ball after tea.
In the end England were bowled out for 120 with 8.1 overs left in the day as India took a 1-0 series lead.
Root was guilty of baffling field placings and failing to instil enough discipline in the bowling attack during the India fightback.
“I think a lot falls on my shoulders as captain,” said Root. “Tactically I could have done things slightly differently given the time again.
“As captain, you take responsibility. It’s very raw right now.
“I don’t think I coped with that partnership well enough. We went from being in a very strong position, where we looked like we were going to go on and win this game, to being behind and making it very difficult for ourselves.
“I’ll do a lot of learning from here to make sure that, if we find ourselves in a similar position, tactically I’m better.”
After letting victory slip through their fingers, England still had a chance to draw the Test by seeing off 60 overs in familiar conditions.
But with three ducks in their second innings – including both England openers for the first time in a home Test and Sam Curran for a king pair in the match – it proved beyond them.
The total number of ducks by English Test batsmen in 2021 is now 39 – the second-worst total ever for the Three Lions.
“I absolutely expected us to (survive) and it is disappointing that we didn’t manage to,” Root said.
“I don’t think there’s any hiding from it, we do need to get better.
“There’s still a lot of cricket to be played in this series.
“We just need to stay calm and not try to panic and make sure we’re in a really good frame of mind when we turn up to Leeds.”
The English media was anything but calm in response.
“This Test match has proved two things,” wrote former England batsman Sir Geoffrey Boycott in the UK Telegraph.
“Firstly, if you are stupid you do not deserve to win Test matches. As much as we love Joe Root for his magnificent batting, he cocked up with his tactics.
“Secondly, England cannot keep relying on Joe for all their runs. There has to be an improvement from the top three very soon because it is getting beyond a joke.”
Former England player David Lloyd, writing in the Daily Mail, said: “This Test went rapidly away from England the moment Jasprit Bumrah came into bat.
“They just seemed intent on knocking lumps off him rather than getting him out.
“There’s always something great about a tail-end partnership. Bumrah and Mohammed Shami just had a lot of fun at England’s expense. It looked as if England had totally lost the plot…”
In The Guardian, Jonathan Liew wrote: “There was nothing casual in Kohli’s choice of words late on the fourth evening to James Anderson, that this wasn’t his “f***ing backyard”. India didn’t just win at Lord’s; they annexed it.
“Here there would be precious few hiding places for Joe Root’s side, no respite from a humiliation that in its harrowing, chastening quality will be one of their most unpleasant in recent memory.
“In a way it was a kind of emasculation: not on the balance of play over the course of the match, but in how thoroughly superior India were when it mattered and how instinctively they knew it, how meekly England imploded in a haze of misplaced hubris and sublimated inadequacy.
“England were not only outclassed but outthought, not only humbled but harassed, not only beaten but bullied.”
(With PA)
RAdelaide
Roar Rookie
England would do well to not enter into verbals with the Indians from the next test on. Focus on the cricket, and make it "boring". Nothing Kohli hates more as that needle really fires up the team. NZ are reaping the benefits of this "quiet" approach.
Sgt Pepperoni
Roar Rookie
Same thing happened in Headingley with Starc on the sidelines. These guys don't seem to be able to strategize for themselves. Must be trained out of them
Unders
Roar Pro
I'd argue Aus do have the attack to do it with Starc, Cummins, Hazelwood and Cummins. Depends on the pitch. England without Archer have no one intimidating to face since Wood is so inaccurate and at best bowls 1-2 good 4 over spells a game.
Marty
Roar Rookie
Yes and no. I think the situations/motivations were a bit different. From what I’ve seen the other night was about a square up, where as I think that the Aussies honestly thought that short pitch bowling was the best way to get the Indian tail enders out. What really hurt was Starcs inability to get the full ball to swing late/reverse, and a much improved Indian outfit were able to stick it out. Your right though, no plan b.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
No, who's the guilty one ya reckon?
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Especially on field management
Paul
Roar Guru
True enough but IS he to blame? IMO, he's got about 5 mates who would be saying we didn't bat well enough
U
Roar Rookie
Have you seen the Aussie lineup?
U
Roar Rookie
He’s the captain. He takes the blame
Micko
Roar Rookie
Would've been better served with Siraj instead of Ashwin for that Final, and just Jadeja as a spinning allrounder.
Renato CARINI
Roar Rookie
Criticism, yes Harrowing humiliation, no
Sedz
Guest
This old uncle Anderson will retire with India series. He knows he will be clattered in Australia into Ashes. Probably if some one wanna bet me, can do?
Micko
Roar Rookie
Continually selecting the consistently mediocre Starc (after he's had one good test in a pink ball D/N test) is letting us down too. Starc's position should be under threat more often in the last few years, with guys like Neser, Pattinson, J. Richardson etc waiting in the wings.
Sedz
Guest
India was rubbish too. Thanks to Kohli. He was rubbish with batting. But they came back well. Australia had better batman to deal with Thakur and Washington Sundar. Not Bumrah and Shami. Sundar punched cover drives to score runs. He smacked a no-pro shot of Lyon over long on. But thats not the case with England. They had the game on hands.
Micko
Roar Rookie
It was almost as bad as watching Australia's attack to tail-enders: ridiculous short ball barrage. :sick:
Sgt Pepperoni
Roar Rookie
Langer hadn't hired a bowling coach. Had Andrew McDonald filling in The gap between our plans and the Indian strategy was the difference
Sedz
Guest
That’s bad. I feel so sorry for upcoming team like Afghan women team. :crying: We need to be inclusive to women’s game and inclusive to associate teams to grow the game. But this is unfortunate really.
Dave
Guest
Exactly. Hugely depleted India were able to win a series here facing a home side which apparently has "5 or 6 world class players" (including the uber attack).
Sedz
Guest
Root is an appalling captain. He always has been & frankly always will be - if he hasn't learnt by now then he never will. Was the ludicrous nature of that fateful morning all his fault? No. Between them Root, Bairstow, Buttler & Anderson have the thick end of 400 Test appearances they should know by now how to get a tail-ender out. Couple of short balls, couple of yorkers, otherwise middle & off to off stump on a good to full length. You have to make them play, every ball they watch go over or past their head is a waste. Bouncers need to be chest to throat high at the body but high & wide is a waste. I could see lot of English folks complained about bowling short balls to Jimmy. As for bowling bouncers at Anderson, is there some rule about not bowling bouncers at him, is he exempt? Everyone knows he is rubbish at facing the short ball. If he had a reputation of being utterly rock solid against short bowling - a reincarnation of Robin Smith, but utterly hopeless at facing spin then Jadeja would have been brought on at the first opportunity to confuse Jimmy with a slow turning ball. If he doesn't want to be subjected to barrage of short bowling then improve his batting against it or retire. Lets not kid ourselves he is going to be getting some come the Ashes.
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
The headline suggests a humiliation.. Huh??…. Why should losing to India in a Test match be that….?. Personally I think this India side losing to England would have been a come down..