India captain Shubman Gill blamed his team’s middle-order collapse after England chased down a modest 234 with four wickets in hand in the second ODI in Cardiff on Thursday to level the series 1-1 as well. Joe Root anchored the chase with a steady 99* as England chased down the target in 44.1 overs. Gill also admitted India were well short of the total they had targeted. From 178 for 3 at one stage, India slumped to 193 for 7 in a space of 26 deliveries and never recovered as well.

“We thought 300-310 would be a good total after 25 overs when we were in a good position, but we lost too many wickets in the middle overs,” Gill said. “Our tailenders are not the best batsmen, but we expected more from the lower middle-order batters and they were not able to capitalise on their starts.”

Shubman Gill also opined on the injury of Washington Sundar, saying that it shortens India of a bowling option at a vital stage.

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“Never a good feeling when you ping one to cover. (Washington) Sundar is a key part of our team. Maybe it would have played a part, squeezing in the pressure. We had to bowl our main bowlers throughout the innings. I don’t think it would have made a huge difference because the ball was doing more for the fast bowlers, but when you lose a key player, there is some momentum loss,” he stated again.

However, Shubman Gill applauded Joe Root, saying that he never allowed India an opening in a chase that suited his strengths as well.

“We always knew that if the run-rate was five or more, we could have got a false shot out of him, but this kind of chase, he’s a master of these totals,” Shubman Gill concluded.