India's Batting Collapse: Gambhir Defends Lower Order, Cites Missed Catches and Workload Management in Test Defeat

India's hopes at Headingley were dashed on the final day as England completed a remarkable 371-run chase. Despite scoring 835 runs and boasting five centurions, including Rishabh Pant with a century in each innings, India succumbed to their seventh defeat in nine Tests.

Missed catches plagued India throughout the Test. © Getty

The pivotal moments were two batting collapses:

• First Innings: 7 wickets for 41 runs.
• Second Innings: 6 wickets for 31 runs.

These collapses transformed a potentially dominant position into a chaseable target for England.

Shubman Gill, who marked his captaincy debut with a century, revealed the team aimed for a target of "around 435." However, head coach Gautam Gambhir believes the turning point occurred earlier. "If we could've got to 570, 580 in the first innings, we could've dominated from there," he stated.

Gambhir's Stance on Lower Order Performance

Despite the lower order's struggles, Gambhir defended their efforts. Shardul Thakur's aggressive shots led to his dismissal in both innings, while Prasidh Krishna's slog sweep attempt also resulted in a wicket.

"Look, first of all, it's not that they weren't applying themselves. Sometimes people fail. And that's okay," Gambhir explained. He acknowledged their disappointment, emphasizing their hard work and the unpredictable nature of the game. "Even proper batters fail. Hopefully they'll learn, and hopefully we'll get better performances from our tail. And that is not the only reason we lost the Test match."

Costly Dropped Catches

Another significant factor in India's defeat was their poor catching. They dropped seven catches, including a crucial one by Yashasvi Jaiswal off Ben Duckett, who was on 97 at the time. Duckett went on to score 149, shifting the momentum in England's favor.

Gill admitted the team discussed their catching woes and the need for improvement. "Chances don't come easy, especially on wickets like these, and we dropped quite a few catches," he said. He attributed some errors to the challenges of the Headingley ground but stressed the need to raise standards.

No Excuses

Gambhir dismissed the "young team" narrative as an excuse for the loss. "Every defeat is bad. It's not about a young team or an experienced team. It's an Indian team," he asserted. "We represent 140 crore proud Indians. We will try and give our absolute best. There are no excuses."

Bumrah's Workload Management

Gambhir also confirmed that Jasprit Bumrah will play only two more Test matches in the series, as pre-determined to manage his workload. The decision on which two Tests Bumrah will participate in remains open. "[Even without Bumrah] we absolutely have the bowling attack [to compete]. We believe in them." Gambhir stated, expressing confidence in the team's bowling depth. He added that the team trusts its bowlers and they will improve with more experience.