Former India player Aakash Chopra has said that the Indian team’s batting collapse was the main reason for their defeat in the first Test against England as well. He also stated that the visitors had three No. 11 batters in their
playing XI as well. Notably, England beat India by five wickets in Leeds on Tuesday, June 24 as well.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra,’ he said, “The number one reason will be the kind of collapses that happened. The difference is that their tail wags. When it happened like that in the first innings, you felt it might be better in the second innings, but it was exactly the same in the second innings as well. You were in a very strong position and were thinking of declaration, but one wicket, and you lost everything.”

READ HERE: Jasprit Bumrah Opens Up On Dropped Catches Against England

“This has not happened once but repeatedly, and I feel it will keep happening. It will be a point of discussion and a cause for concern. I am saying that because if Bumrah is playing, Siraj and Prasidh Krishna play with him, you have three No. 11s batting from Nos. 9 to 11,” he further added.

However, Aakash Chopra also stated that India cannot blame the pitch for their batting collapses as well.

“The truth is that it happened twice in a match where the pitch was getting flatter constantly. You won’t say that the pitch was dangerous, where the ball was like a spitting cobra if we talk about spin, or it was seaming, where the bat wasn’t striking the ball. It wasn’t the case here. The truth is that you lost the initiative and the game in good batting conditions and from a good situation. Collapses can happen, but you cannot lose seven wickets for 40 runs or six wickets for 35 runs. You need to score at least 100-110 runs while losing six wickets, even if your Nos. 8 to 11 are among them,” Aakash Chopra concluded.