This England team are a bundle of energy and have already brought huge excitement and joy. But surely their 434-run defeat to India in Rajkot has to be a wake-up call for captain Ben Stokes and his players.
The way they played in the third Test this week gifted India victory. I couldn’t believe my eyes the way they batted on day three, especially Joe Root’s shot in the first innings.
You are 230 behind on day three, thinking a brilliant bowler in Ravichandran Ashwin may play no further part in the Test, and Ravindra Jadeja is looking a bit stiff. It’s 1-1 in the series and you have your best player at the crease. From there, you can see a route to victory, and it involves batting all day.
It was no time for extravagant risks, but Root took one. I hear people say “but he played it against Pat Cummins” and, yeah, he did. But England were on top when he did that. Here, they were 221 behind on day three in India, with the series finely poised. The time for that risk was when Root had 70-plus and they were approaching India’s total, trying to put the foot down and ask big questions. Making that error brought India to life. The reward would not even have been that great. Yes, it looks fun, but you are still, at best, 215 behind. Could he have not pushed that ball into the covers for a single?
I’m not sure I quite agree with my colleague Scyld Berry that it’s the worst shot in England’s Test history, but it’s right up there, given the context.
It’s a shot that really worries me. It shows England have learnt nothing from the Ashes. The collapse that followed was reminiscent of Lord’s, when Nathan Lyon hobbled off with England 1-182, and they gifted Australia all those wickets. That’s why they lost that Test, not because Jonny Bairstow was stumped.
England’s defeat in Rajkot was their worst under Ben Stokes.Credit: Getty
When the message came through that Ashwin had gone, I bet no one mentioned Lord’s because that’s deemed negative and not the right message. That is claptrap. It’s called common sense, and learning from the mistakes of the past. Every great sporting team has learnt from mistakes and improved. The coaches and senior players need to have some tougher conversations to ensure they learn.
This England team are hell bent on doing things their way, and “saving Test cricket”. They are giving Test cricket a shot in the arm because they are so exciting. But ultimately they have to be better than that now. They didn’t win in New Zealand, they didn’t win the Ashes, and if they carry on like this, they are going to lose in India. As a team, you are judged on series victories.
England’s humiliating Bazball loss proves they learnt nothing from the Ashes
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19.02.2024
This England team are a bundle of energy and have already brought huge excitement and joy. But surely their 434-run defeat to India in Rajkot has to be a wake-up call for captain Ben Stokes and his players.
The way they played in the third Test this week gifted India victory. I couldn’t believe my eyes the way they batted on day three, especially Joe Root’s shot in the first innings.
You are 230 behind on day three, thinking a brilliant bowler in Ravichandran Ashwin may play no further part in the Test, and Ravindra Jadeja is looking a bit stiff. It’s 1-1 in the series and you have your best player at the crease. From there, you can see a route to........
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