Ravichandran Ashwin has voiced his strong disagreement with what he has termed a "narrative" from commentators that blames the Indian bowlers for the team's stunning meltdown in the first Test against England at Headingley. Despite playing for five centuries over both innings and scoring 471 and 364 runs respectively, India was unable to defend a 370-run target in the fourth innings as England pulled off the second-highest chase in their Test history, winning by five wickets.

The post-match conversation unfairly singled out bowlers while ignoring the larger picture of the match, Ashwin said, who last year retired as India's top wicket-taker in the World Test Championship cycle. The former India off-spinner claimed on his YouTube channel that the story surrounding the loss was missing context and viewpoint.

"In the first Test, I thought the commentary turned into a diss against the Indian bowlers when 370 was run down. The narrative, in my opinion, was leading up to the reasons why Indian bowlers were unable to win the game. However, many would have discovered with a little study that hundreds of people have been regularly pursued in England during the fourth innings, according to Ashwin.

The Indian bowling assault was criticized, particularly on Day 5, when England won with relative ease, thanks to Ben Duckett's century and Joe Root's undefeated fifty. Despite taking five wickets in the first innings, Jasprit Bumrah's influence diminished in the second. Ravindra Jadeja, India's lone spinner in the XI, was unable to gain command or take wickets, while Mohammed Siraj and the other bowlers let up runs.

The second test begins Wednesday.

The 37-year-old argued that bowlers require assistance not only on the field but also in how their play is evaluated.

"The bowlers didn't do the job" is an oversimplification. In my opinion, the focus of the discourse was entirely changed after the chase. However, Ashwin observed that effective fourth-innings chases have grown more prevalent in England during the last few years.

India is currently down 1-0 in the five-test series, and they face a critical test at Edgbaston, where there are still unanswered questions about the team's lineup and the narrative burden they will be carrying into the second test, which begins on Wednesday.

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