Team India's head coach Gautam Gambhir came under fire after Team India's poor show in the Headingly Test. England have taken 1-0 lead in the five-match Test series after beating Shubman Gill's team by 5 wickets on Tuesday. Despite scoring 471 in the first innings and 364 in the second, India failed to defend the target.
The bowling unit looked toothless as they were unable to pick up wickets at the crucial juncture of the match. The fielding was even poorer, with Yashasvi Jaiswal alone dropping four catches, which proved costly.
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This was India’s third Test series loss in a row under Gambhir’s watch. Before this, India lost to New Zealand and then to Australia.
Gambhir backs Gill to come good as skipper
This was also Shubman Gill’s first match as India’s Test captain. He scored a superb 147 in the first innings, but the team’s performance as a whole was not enough to secure a win. Gambhir has though backed the new Team India test skipper, stating
"He has everything that it takes for him to be a successful captain, but we got to just give him time. It's still very early days. He's only captain for the first time. I'm sure he's going to get better, and these are tough places to captain. So it's like pushing someone into the deep sea, and I'm sure he's going to come out as a proper professional."
Chasing 371 for victory on the final day, England showed intent and maturity on the final day. Ben Duckett played a match-defining knock of 149 off 170 balls, laced with 21 boundaries and a six. Zak Crawley added a steady 65, laying the platform for a successful chase. Joe Root (53*) and Jamie Smith (44*) kept calm under pressure and saw England through as they finished on 373 for 5 in 82 overs. Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna picked up two wickets each, but India were unable to halt England's charge
