'England have failed to beat the best two teams': Ex-English cricketers react to Test series defeat to India

England’s Test series defeat to India has led to mixed reactions from former Three Lions cricketers with legendary Geoffrey Boycott saying that the Bazball-inspired team has now failed to beat “best two teams” in the world. England fought valiantly in the four Test against India at Ranchi and also took a 46-run first innings lead but an impressive comeback by India laid on the back of gritty knocks from youngsters Shubman Gill and Dhruv Jurel led India to a five-wicket win and an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.

Reacting to the series defeat, batting great Boycott said that while Bazball deserves praise, he find winning more important. He also labeled England batters “reckless and too cocky”.

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“Bazball has given Test cricket a shot in the arm and England deserve praise for that. At times, I love it. But I love winning more and England have failed to beat the best two teams in the world: Australia and now India. What should really hurt them is that they should have beaten both,” Boycott wrote in The Telegraph.

“The batting cost them winning the Ashes and it lost them the series against India. In this series they have had odd moments when someone has scored a good hundred. But they have been in isolation and there has been no consistency. Zak Crawley is the one England player averaging over 40. Six of the Indian players have averages higher than 43. I know they all have to buy into the Bazball mantra because that is all they talk about. To play with no fear is good, but at times England were reckless and too cocky about how they were going to smack everybody around. Getting out is part of the game but getting yourself out is silly."

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Former England captain Michael Atherton was less critical and appreciated the fact that Ben Stokes and Co have been a competetive unit during the series, but rued them not seizing the moments.

“If I look at this tour, I don’t feel like I can sit here and be unduly critical,” Michael Atherton said on the Sky Sports.

“I don’t think anyone expected them to come and win here. In general, I feel they played some pretty good cricket. The cricket has been competitive. India know they’ve been in a scrap. But in the end they were not quite good enough. The residual regret over the opportunities missed and the fact India were missing big names like Kohli and Shami and Bumrah here.”

Read: Jurel explains how he scripted the match-winning knock against England

Nasser Hussain pointed out the key areas where England let the Ranchi Test “slip”.

“There is no shame in losing to this India side but obviously, like with any Test series and any Test match, you look at key areas where you let the game slip and for me, all of yesterday really," he said on Sky Sports.

“What could have been a 100-run lead ended up being 46 and then in your third innings you don’t know whether to stick or twist and I think England batted in that collapse 26 overs for that 37/5 which, for this side, to go just over one run an over shows they didn’t know whether to stick or twist yesterday.”