Shubman Gill admits batting collapses a major concern for India after Headingley defeat: 'Never a good sign'

Captain Shubman Gill admitted batting collapses is something India will have to work on in the build-up to the second Test against England in Birmingham after suffering a five-wicket defeat in Leeds on Tuesday. Gill, however, added that he was proud of the fight that his teammates displayed in taking the game to the last hour in the final day of the series opener at Headingley.

Ben Duckett scored a sublime 149 while opening partner Zak Crawley (65) and senior batter Joe Root (53) chipped in with half-centuries as England chased down a target of 371 set by India on Day 5 of the first Test on Sunday.

‘I think it was a brilliant Test match’: Gill

This was despite five centuries being scored by four different Indian batters in the match along with a 14th Test five-for by Jasprit Bumrah (5/83) in the first innings. India found themselves in dominant positions in both innings, only to lose wickets in a heap – seven wickets for 41 runs in the first innings and six for 31 in the second.

“I think it was a brilliant Test match. We had our chances, we dropped catches and our lower-order didn’t contribute enough, but proud of the team and overall a good effort. Yesterday we were thinking we were going to get around 430 and declare,” Gill said in the post-match presentation ceremony after losing his first Test as India Test captain.

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“Unfortunately our last six wickets scored only around 20-25 runs which is never a good sign. Even today after their brilliant opening partnership I felt we still had our chance but just didn’t go our way in this match.

“Yes, that was something that we spoke about but when you are out there in the middle it happens so quickly and I think it would be one of those things that we have to rectify in the upcoming matches Could be one of those things we have to rectify in the upcoming matches,” Gill added, when asked about India’s batting collapses at Headingley.

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The collapses played a major part, but weren’t the only factors in the defeat, with the Indians, especially Yashasvi Jaiswal, also guilty of dropping several catches and the rest of the seamers not providing Bumrah enough support from the other end.

“Yes, definitely chances don’t come easy especially on wickets like these and we dropped quite a few catches but I think we’ve got a young team, still a learning one and hopefully in the next matches we’ll be able to improve on those aspects,” the 25-year-old added.

Stokes heaps praise on Duckett and Crawley

England captain Ben Stokes, meanwhile, couldn’t be happier on being part of another memorable triumph at Headingley, the venue where he had starred in an epic one-wicket victory over Australia during the 2019 Ashes.

“We’ve got some good memories here, this is another one to add to it. Awesome Test match to be a part of, going into the final hour of day 5 and getting the run-chase,” Stokes said during the post-match presentation.

The all-rounder had faced a barrage of criticism after opting to field on a sunny opening day at Edgbaston, especially after India ended the day on a dominant position of 359/3. Stokes, however, stood vindicated in the end with his team saving their best for the last as they chased down a challenging 371-run target with relative ease.

“You don’t know what’s going to happen before a ball is bowled. You have to do what you think is going to give you the best chance of winning. We were trying to look at what will give us the best opportunity to win. We saw a bit of grass and moisture on the pitch, we thought it will do a bit for us. The opposition is allowed to play well, thought they played very well in that first session.”

Stokes also credited openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley for laying the foundation for the successful chase with a mammoth 188-run opening partnership. Duckett would follow up his knock of 62 in the first innings with a magnificent 149 in the chase to earn the Player of the Match award.

“The pressure of a fourth innings and going out there is tough, especially in England. That partnership between Zak (Crawley) and Ben (Duckett) was incredible to get us going. To get that down to set us off in a run-chase was incredible. They complement each other really well. Thought Zak stayed very calm. Duckett as well, really good. Zak’s 60-odd was very important as well.

“Chasing down totals gives this team a lot of confidence. To win against quality oppositions, like we have for a number of times, it gives us confidence. Been a great start to the series, got four more hard games to come,” Stokes added.

The action in the five-match series between England and India resumes on 2 July at Edgbaston, Birmingham – the venue where England had chased down a target of 378 with seven wickets to spare three summers ago.