Gambhir Stands by India's Lower Order Despite Test Collapse; Cites Missed Catches as Key Factor

By Kaushik Rangarajan

India's recent Test defeat at Headingley has sparked debate, but head coach Gautam Gambhir is standing by his team, particularly the lower order, despite their batting collapses. The match, which saw England chase down a daunting 371-run target, exposed vulnerabilities in India's batting lineup.

India ultimately fell short after controlling the tempo for five days at Headingley, watching England complete a 371-run chase. This marks India's seventh defeat in their last nine Tests.

While India amassed 835 runs, including five centuries highlighted by Rishabh Pant's twin tons, two significant collapses proved costly.

• The first collapse saw them lose 7 wickets for 41 runs.
• The second collapse involved 6 wickets falling for just 31 runs.

The first collapse prevented India from setting a truly imposing first-innings total, while the second left them defending a chaseable target.

India's missed catches proved costly during the Test match. © Getty

Shubman Gill revealed the team aimed for approximately 435 runs, but Gambhir believed a first-innings score closer to 570 or 580 would have secured dominance.

Despite criticism of the lower order's shot selection, Gambhir defended their efforts. Shardul Thakur's aggressive approach and Prasidh Krishna's attempted slog sweep drew scrutiny, but Gambhir emphasized that failure is a part of the game.

"Look, first of all, it's not that they weren't applying themselves. Sometimes people fail. And that's okay," Gambhir stated. He acknowledged the players' disappointment and highlighted their hard work, adding, "Even proper batters fail." He expressed hope for improvement in future performances from the tailenders but stressed that their batting was not the sole reason for the defeat.

Another critical factor was India's poor catching performance. They dropped seven catches, with Yashasvi Jaiswal being a repeat offender. Ben Duckett, who was dropped on 97, capitalized by scoring a match-defining 149. Gill admitted the team discussed the issue and needs to improve their catching standards, especially on challenging wickets like Headingley.

Gill acknowledged the team is young and learning.

Gambhir, however, dismissed the "young team" narrative as an excuse. "Every defeat is bad. It's not about a young team or an experienced team. It's an Indian team," he asserted. He emphasized the pride in representing India and the commitment to winning every game. "A young team is not an excuse... We will turn up every Test match thinking that we can win the test match and win the series."

Gambhir also confirmed that Jasprit Bumrah would only play two more Tests, a decision made prior to the series to manage his workload. The specific matches are yet to be determined. He expressed confidence in the remaining bowlers, stating, "We believe in them. We trust in them... they will keep getting better."