The move to bowl first didn’t go according to expectations.
After winning the toss, England captain Ben Stokes opted to field first against India in Headingley. However, the move didn’t go according to expectations, as the Indian team piled a massive 359/3 on the first day.
As many as two batters scored centuries, while Rishabh Pant is also unbeaten after completing a half-century. Since then, Stokes has been receiving a lot of criticism for his decision to bowl first on what appears to be a flat surface, full of runs, with little assistance for bowlers.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan has criticised the decision to bowl first, stating that the conditions were dry leading up to the game. On BBC’s Test Match Special, he exclaimed that the team didn’t follow the tradition and allowed a young side to score big.
“I was staggered when I heard he was going to bowl first. I thought traditions have gone out the window. I know England have won chasing here quite a number of times over the recent times, but you always have to pick your decisions on that moment. And they’ve allowed India with a youngish batting line-up and a new captain to just go and play.”
In hindsight, it’s easier to criticise a particular move when things don’t pan out according to expectations, but there was merit in choosing to bowl first. Even India’s captain, Shubman Gill, confirmed that he would have bowled first had he won the toss, but it turned out to be a good toss to lose.
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The conditions have historically been arduous to bat in the initial two innings before it flattens out later. Between 2010 and this Test, the averages in the first and second innings were 23.90 and 27.55, respectively, and 31.10 and 32.24 in the third and fourth innings, respectively.
There have been big chases in the fourth innings, including a famous Ben Stokes special in the Ashes 2019. So, the decision to bowl first might not be too bad, even if the conditions didn’t play out as expected, given that the opponent also had the same thinking.
India also batted brilliantly and hardly gave anything to English bowlers, who were short on experience and lacked consistency. So, while the move looks inappropriate now, the reason and logic behind it were understandable.
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