Former India cricketer VVS Laxman pointed out that India’s top-order consistently misfired and their bowlers let good starts slip by during the course of their 4-1 Test series defeat in England.
Their drubbing by England in the five-match series left India with much to ponder about. According to Laxman, the main reason India went down 4-1 is that they repeated their mistakes.
“The Indian think-tank will, I am sure, introspect and look inwards in the aftermath of the series defeat,” Laxman wrote in a column for The Times of India.
“The one thing they will recognise is that they kept repeating mistakes – allowing the tail to wag after making serious inroads into the top order, and not getting off to starts which is not the hallmark of the number one Test team of the world.”
In the final Test, India looked like they had surrendered any hope of a fightback when they slumped to 2/3 and then 121/5 in chase of 464, but that is when two of India’s better batting performances on the tour came about, with KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant compiling remarkable centuries.
Laxman was “delighted” with the attitude of Pant and Rahul. “Their conviction and positivity is something India should take heart from,” he said.
Laxman, who retired in 2012 after representing India in 134 Tests and 86 one-day internationals, agreed that India played decent cricket but felt that the 4-1 scoreline was an accurate portrayal of just how unforgiving Test cricket is.
“The 4-1 scoreline in England’s favour might not necessarily be a true reflection of the quality of the two sides, but it reiterated the fact that in Test cricket, you can’t take your eyes off the ball for even an hour,” he said, hailing England’s intensity in the dead rubber at The Oval.
With the tour done and dusted, India’s next overseas Test opportunity will arrive towards the end of the year in Australia. If India can make minor amends, their tendency to push for results come what may could finally reap reward.
“India could have looked for a draw in the immediacy of Rahul’s dismissal, but they kept going for the target till Pant was around, like they had done in Adelaide in 2014 in Virat’s first Test as captain. That is the character of this team — to strive for a result, no matter what. Their shot at redemption will come later in the year in Australia.”
