England’s dream run under the “Bazball” approach came to a crashing halt after India secured a convincing 3-1 series victory in the five-match Test series. While England provided a scare in the first Test, winning after conceding a massive first-innings lead, India dominated the rest of the series, showcasing their home advantage.
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra pointed the finger at England’s middle-order batting as the primary reason for their downfall. He believes their inability to capitalize on crucial moments throughout the series, particularly after the first Test, ultimately cost them.
Taking a dig at the English media, Aakash Chopra stated, “The English media is portraying that their team took India to the limit after not many had given them a chance but is not shedding light on their middle-order’s abysmal performance in the series. England lost many ‘absolutely critical’ phases in this Test series…phases where they needed to simply consolidate their position. “
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He further emphasized his point through a scathing post on social media: “Phases where they needed to build on the advantage. But that’s not the narrative that sells…what sells with the British media is that ‘Nobody gave us a chance’ ‘Nobody beats India in India’ ‘See…we ran them close’. English middle-order (barring Pope and Root in one innings each) has capitulated on good pitches. Address that elephant in the room…but for that, first admit that there’s an elephant in the room.”.
England lost many ‘absolutely critical’ phases in this Test series…phases where they needed to simply consolidate their position. Phases where they needed to build on the advantage.
But that’s the not the narrative that sells…what sells with the British media is that ‘Nobody…— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) February 27, 2024
Apart from stellar knocks from Ollie Pope (196) and Joe Root (122) in separate innings, England’s batting failed to deliver consistently. Jonny Bairstow and skipper Ben Stokes, crucial players in their recent successes, averaged below 25 in the series.
India, although experiencing some nervous moments while chasing 245 in the fourth Test, eventually secured victory thanks to crucial partnerships between Shubman Gill and Dhruv Jurel. England’s catastrophic collapse from a promising position of 110/3 in the second innings proved detrimental, handing India a well-deserved series win.
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The lack of consistent contributions from England’s middle-order batting, as highlighted by Chopra, appears to have been the Achilles heel in their pursuit of series victory, raising questions about their approach and squad composition for future challenges.
