They lost the second Test by 336 runs..
England suffered a massive 336-run defeat in the Edgbaston Test as India managed to level the series without Jasprit Bumrah. Ben Stokes and co. were thoroughly outplayed in the second Test and some serious questions need to be asked.
Playing under a new captain Shubman Gill, the visitors dominated the proceedings for most of the game. England needed to chase 608 in the final innings, and for all the talk of going for the win, they were folded for 271 with a session to go. On a flat pitch, their failure to bat 160 overs across two innings raises questions about their approach. Here are some major talking points for England from the defeat.
AUSA-W
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INDA-W
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VSS
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BVB
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AMR
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TBW
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ABF
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TKR
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SKA
–
BR
–
ODW
–
NDS
–
CDK
–
WDL
–
NDSW
–
CDQW
–
CDQW
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SDSW
–
ROM
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CZR
–
ROM
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CZR
–
HTBC
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SCE
–
HTBC
–
VFB
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SCE
–
SGFD
–
VFB
–
BRCC
–
BRCC
–
SGFD
–
VFB
–
SCE
–
HTBC
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SGFD
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BRCC
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SCE
–
SGFD
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VFB
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HTBC
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BRCC
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LAN
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DURH
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LEI
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DER
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HAM
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NOT
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ESS
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GLAM
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SUSS
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SOM
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NOR
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KENT
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KWT
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QAT
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KNY
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JER
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NED-W
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ITA-W
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IRE-W
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GER-W
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NED-W
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IRE-W
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ITA-W
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GER-W
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BAN
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IND
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Match Called off
MUR
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NWW
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LLG
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NK
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PCR
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GUJCC
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RTZ
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KUMS
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BCC
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KZK
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KGC
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SBSCC
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ARKS
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CAGS
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ATR
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KBTS
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GBM
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MYW
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HBT
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BNB
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MGD
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MYW
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BNB
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SML
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MAT
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RNC
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MUT
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IAI
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WEF
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SOB
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LOS
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NOS
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OVI
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TRR
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WFW-W
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SBW-W
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LSW-W
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NOS-W
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OIW-W
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TRW-W
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CHK
152/8
ACOM
69/4
MS-A
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PSA
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NEP
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MR-A
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PS
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AS-A
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MR-A
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HHA
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ACOM
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AS-A
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NTS
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CHK
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BANA
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MS-A
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NOSK
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GOLS
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LUF
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KASS
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NOSK
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KARS
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MEMA
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GOLS
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On a pitch where India batters thrived, England’s top order was utterly disappointing. This was a surface where the new ball phase was the only time bowlers had any help. Getting through that period without losing too many wickets was a key. But while India’s top three scored 239 runs in the match, the English top three managed just 68 runs.
Zak Crawley has been a major issue at the top. Among those with 3,000 runs in Test cricket, no other batter has a worse average than Crawley’s 31.11. Ollie Pope scored a century in the first innings at Headingley but followed it up with 8, 0, and 25. England needs to rejig their top order somehow. Jacob Bethell should get a chance at Lord’s.
Joe Root is the greatest England batter of all time. And he has been a prolific run-scorer in the Bazball era. But he has managed only 109 runs in this series with one fifty. The home side needed him out there in the fourth innings of the Edgbaston Test but he fell to a peach of a delivery by Akash Deep.
Root has an exceptional record against India, with 2,955 runs at an average of 56.82. They would hope Root can regain his form in the Lord’s Test.
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As mentioned above, the new ball was the only period where bowlers looked threatening in the Edgbaston Test. However, the difference between the two teams’ pacers was colossal. India’s Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj made the ball talk and ripped apart England’s top order in both innings. On the other hand, England seamers looked clueless barring Chris Woakes’ new-ball spell in the first innings.
The third Test will see a complete revamp of the bowling unit, with Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, and Sam Cook expected to come in. England should go one step further and drop the off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, who has eight wickets in the series at 59.50 apiece. Most of those wickets have come when batters have thrown caution to the wind. Numbers like these beg the question – do they need to play a spinner for the sake of it? Ideally, England should go with an all-pace attack for the rest of the series.
There is a saying, ‘Ben Stokes is a player of big moments.’ But he hasn’t had a big moment in two years. His last century was at Lord’s in the 2023 Ashes, when he hit 155 while chasing 371, albeit they lost by 43 runs. Since then, he has averaged just 28.58 with seven half-centuries and no triple-digit score. His game against spin is even worse as he is averaging just around 18 since last year.
There is no doubt that Stokes is an important player in this line-up as an all-rounder. When fit, his bowling is vital for the team. Stokes, along with Brendon McCullum, has revolutionised English Test cricket. But his captaincy cannot hide this glaring issue. Stokes needs to step up with the bat sooner.
The third Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy will take place at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground from July 10.
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