After a defeat at Edgbaston by 336 runs, head coach Brendon McCullum admitted that they got it wrong at the toss, with the pitch not playing out as they had expected as well. He also praised India’s exceptional batting display led by their captain, Shubman Gill.

“I think, as the game unfolded, we probably looked back on that toss and said did we miss an opportunity there and it’s probably fair,” McCullum said. “They played brilliantly with the bat in hand. Shubman Gill was batting at an elite level.”

McCullum also applauded Akash Deep for his stunning bowling display. The pacer claimed a ten-wicket haul in the match and helped India win.

“Obviously the way they bowled, Akash Deep in particular, they’ve grown up playing on those sorts of surfaces where you’ve got to slam that slightly fuller length, and us bowling first presented them with those opportunities. Obviously the footmarks started to create some issues as well. You don’t always get every decision right,” he shared.

Brendon McCullum also said that if not for Harry Brook and Jamie Smith’s record 303-run stand for the sixth wicket, England were thoroughly outplayed by India in the match.

“It was only a brilliant partnership from Jamie Smith and Harry Brook which gave us any balance in the game throughout the five days. That’s something we’ve got to look at,” he added.

“Bumrah will more than likely come back in for the next one, so we’ve just got to make sure we’re well planned and well prepared and ready for the next challenge. It will be quite different, I imagine, to this surface and that’s probably a good thing for us,” Brendon McCullum concluded.