Indian cricket fans experienced yet another heartbreak as their team lost the series opening Test match against England. The difference between the two teams was only 31 runs. It was yet another case of so close; just like Bridgetown in 1997 when India failed to chase 120 or Galle in 2015 when India didn't chase 176.
Beating England at Edgbaston wasn't going to be easy, but Virat Kohli deserved to be called up as the winning captain in the post-match presentation. This Test match was in the Indian team's clutches. Yet, it slipped out. Rather, they let it slip. And therefore, this defeat will hurt - it will hurt the Indian cricketers, the team management and the passionate Indian fan.
While every run scored, wicket or catch taken, and every stumping goes down in the record books, ask any cricketer, and they will be the first ones to admit that if their performances don't translate to wins for the team, it means very little to them. And therefore, while Kohli's epic 149 in the first innings of the Edgbaston Test will always remain among the best innings played by an Indian batsman, in the context of the Test match, its value was reduced to zero.
It should haunt the remaining ten players (other than captain Virat Kohli) who were part of the Indian XI in the Edgbaston Test that they couldn't play the little supporting role that was needed to give value to Kohli's two knocks which have been now been reduced to nothing but mere entries in the scorebook.
While Virat Kohli scored a total of 200 runs in the Edgbaston Test, the second-highest match aggregate for an Indian batsman was Hardik Pandya’s 53.
So, what did the Indian team do wrong that they lost the Edgbaston Test match?
1. Lack Of Preparation
The former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, now television commentator, was scathing in his observation of the Indian team's preparation for the Test series. Not his exact words, but he opined the team was not on an all-expenses-paid holiday and should have played at least two practice matches in the 14-day gap between the conclusion of the limited overs leg of the tour and the start of the Test series.
The deficiencies in technique and the Indian batsmen's lack of preparedness can be established when one analyses their dismissals. It is well documented that 'the leave alone' is the most important shot while playing in seaming conditions. Yet, out of white ball instinct and muscle memory, several of the specialist batsmen in the Indian XI played at deliveries outside the off stump which they could have left alone. Figuring out the line of the off stump and inculcating the habit of leaving deliveries is best developed through playing repeatedly – particularly in match conditions.
2. Batsmen Lost Wickets Cheaply
Why can’t the other batsmen in the Indian team be as desperate as Kohli was and put a higher value to their wicket? If these are the best available batsmen in the country, they should be capable of raising their game when the situation demands.
Dhawan and Rahul can be match-winners on their day, but both have temperament issues, while technical flaws have crept into Rahane's batting. The trio only need to look as far as their captain to believe that the deficiencies can be overcome. If Virat Kohli can be so focussed on the goal, and work on his technique and temperament to exorcise the demons of the 2014 tour, so can the others. They only need the resolve, that single-minded focus, the desperation and be prepared to grind and look ugly. Just like Kohli looked against Anderson at Edgbaston.
3. Lost Wickets in Clusters
One of the areas the Indian team needs to consciously address is to not lose wickets in clusters. This has emerged as a trend in recent times – it happened on several occasions in the Test series in South Africa earlier this year.
At Edgbaston, there were at least three instances when India lost wickets in clusters and therefore either lost grip over proceedings or gave the hosts an opening they were looking for.
4. Catching
The Indian team was blessed to have some of the best slip catchers in the world when Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman were part of the team. But the team has struggled to fill the void for that position ever since they retired. In recent years, India have held on to only 67% of the chances off pacers in the catching cordon behind the wickets – that converts to one dropped catch out of every three catching opportunities that comes the slip cordon’s way.
At Edgbaston, the Indian fielders positioned in the catching cordon behind the stumps held on to 7 catches, while dropping 4 opportunities – consistent with the Indian team’s catch conversion rate in the slip cordon.
At some stage, those dropped catches were going to hurt the Indian team; on this occasion, it cost them a Test win at Edgbaston. In the second innings, Shikhar Dhawan dropped Sam Curran on 13, and the batsman went on to make 63. Given that 31 runs was the final difference between the two teams, that one dropped catch proved to be very costly for Team India.
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