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On July 5, the Indian team suffered a heart-breaking loss against the England team at Edgbaston. The hosts secured a remarkable victory under pressure to chase the target of 378, which got etched into the history books as the highest successful chase by Three Lions in the longest format. As a result, the series was levelled 2-2 and both the team shared the trophy.
However, many questions have been raised about the Indian team’s performances. Despite taking a lead of 132 runs in the first innings, the visitors were not able to replicate the performances in the subsequent innings. This article covers five things the Jasprit Bumrah-led side could have done differently in search of their first series win in England since 2007.
1. Ashwin could have been considered in the XI
One of India’s greatest spinners Ravichandran Ashwin has often been often kept away from the Playing XI in overseas conditions. The team management often chooses to keep Ravindra Jadeja as the sole spin-bowling option with his usefulness in the batting department. But the Indian team has faced defeats in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final and this Test match in the absence of Ashwin.
In seven red-ball appearances in England, the 35-year-old has picked up 18 wickets at an average of 28.11. He has the innate ability to force the batters to commit errors and has lately been impressive with the willow as well. Hence, his non-selection was certainly a big talking point in the cricket fraternity and it could have made a difference had he been in the team.
