India lost the first Test to England by five-wickets in Leeds.
We are well past the Leeds chapter. India succumbed after putting up a good fight and were left scratching their heads after England chased down 371 in the fourth innings of the first Test at Headingley. Despite scoring five centuries in the match, India found themselves on the wrong side of the history books. Despite the loss, there were a lot of positives for the Indian team in Leeds. And these positives are what Shubman Gill & Co. will bank on as they embark on the journey of the second Test in Birmingham.
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On the eve of the second Test, Indian captain Shubman Gill spoke to the media to share his thoughts ahead of the game. He spoke on a lot of aspects, including the inclusion of pacer Jasprit Bumrah. One of the many points that he touched upon was about the contributions of the lower order. India couldn’t add even a mere 50 runs for the last seven wickets in both their innings, and this is something they’ll look to correct in their next assignment.
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The 25-year-old skipper shed light on India’s lower-order woes. He said that it is a point that is often spoken about. But, he also stressed that when looked at from another perspective, it can give the top-order a sense of added responsibility. This is something which former Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has also spoken about. Gill said that he would have loved to take more responsibility and add another 50 runs to the total.
“It [the lower-order debacle] has been one of the points we talk about often. On the other hand, if we see things the other way round, I could have scored a bit more runs and added another 50 to the total. So there is a perspective to look at it”, said the Indian skipper ahead of the second Test.
India has also hinted that they would be going in with two spinners instead of just one. However, who takes the field alongside Ravindra Jadeja remains to be a point of discussion. With the visitors already 1-0 down in the series, they will want to make things right very soon. Going down another game against this English side will make the chances of a comeback very bleak.
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