The renowned Sunil Gavaskar praised England, emphasising their belief in their talents despite India hitting five centuries. Gavaskar also pointed out India’s errors. Aside from the lower order’s failure to contribute with the bat, the former India captain thought the catching and outfielding were “pretty ordinary” and “not Test class”.
India showed positive signs in Shubman Gill ‘s debut as Test captain. However, England held their composure and produced a great fourth innings batting showing to win the first Test by five wickets in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Headingley, Leeds, on Tuesday, June 24. India became the first team to lose a Test after scoring five centuries.
“Full credit to England. Even though India had five centurions, they appeared to be confident. That is what enabled them to grab the final wickets. So that is where India also fell short, because those extra runs may have made the difference. In terms of fielding, it was just not the catch, but outfielding was rather average. “Not Test class,” he stated on Sony Sports.
Gavaskar defended the bowlers, saying the ground was ideal for batting. He lauded Jasprit Bumrah’s performance in the Test match but lamented the fact that no other bowler could create pressure from the other end by bowling cheaply.
“It’s difficult to blame the bowlers because the wicket is excellent for batting. Bumrah bowled quite well. If he had someone to maintain it tight, that would have been a huge assistance. But this is the first test. Hopefully, lessons were learnt. “There are eight days until the next match,” Gavaskar stated.
You can take the next few days off, but now is the time to get serious about practicing. Sunil Gavaskar
Gavaskar advised the Indian squad to begin serious practice before the second Test in Birmingham, which begins on Wednesday, July 2. He recommended Shubman and co. to discontinue the optional practice sessions.
“You can take the next few days free, but now is the time to get serious about practicing. Set this optional practice aside. You came here to play for India. So you practise in a way that allows you to give your all’, he explained.
“I mean, Cheteshwar Pujara has been a member of the optional team. I know that when he has chosen to bat, people have asked him, ‘What are you doing?’ This includes the coaching staff. I’ve been on the coaching staff before, but not this one; Cheteshwar was not on this team; they’ve said, ‘Can’t you take a break or something?'” Gavaskar ended.
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