New Delhi: The fact that India was the first side to lose a Test match after hitting five centuries is due to a variety of factors. Perhaps it's the bad catching. Perhaps it's the subpar coaching from a strategic standpoint. Possibly inexperienced leadership. The reason may be that England was simply the better team. Although you are free to choose, the visitors' opportunities to seize control were undeniable, yet they displayed a horrible weakness at the most crucial moments.

At 430/3, India was cruising in the first innings. The crowd was smiling and seeing this young team in a different way. The team had a strong foundation thanks to Rishabh Pant (134), skipper Shubman Gill (147), and Yashasvi Jaiswal (101). The last five wickets only produced 18 runs as they then went from 430/3 to 471 all out.

At this point, India, in the opinion of head coach Gautam Gambhir, had lost control of the match. “We could’ve dominated from there if we could have reached 570, 580 in the first innings,” he stated. A total in that range would have increased the pressure on the hosts and perhaps eliminated the possibility of a defeat, so he's not incorrect.

In the second inning, there was a recurrence of the same performance. With hundreds by KL Rahul (137) and Pant (118), India was at 333/4, but the last five wickets only added 29 runs as they fell to 364 all out.

In the post-match interview, Gill stated that India had planned for a score of "around 435."

In both instances, India held the upper hand, but they faltered when it came to pressing their advantage. In order to provide context, the unbroken sixth wicket partnership was worth 71 in the second innings, and England's last five wickets scored 116 runs in the first innings. The Headingley surface was favorable to batting, but there is no assurance that this will be the case for the remaining games, and these times will become more evident as the series progresses.

After the first Test, one can be certain that England will feel confident about their prospects against the Indian tail, since so much of sport is about self-assurance. The ideal strategy was for Josh Tongue to get the stumps in the game.

Gambhir, however, does not want to point the finger at anybody.

"First of all, I'll tell you it's not that they weren't applying themselves," he said. "Sometimes people fail, and that's okay. And, more significantly, they are more let down than anyone else, as I am sure you will agree. Since they were aware that we had the chance. I'm not going to sit here and say that "it's because of the tail," "the tail couldn't contribute," or "8, 9, 10, 11 couldn't contribute." We win as a team, we lose as a team.

"It's not as if they aren't putting in a lot of effort in the nets. These occurrences do occur. Even skilled batters fail. With luck, they will learn, and with luck, we will see improved tail performances. And there were other factors contributing to our defeat in the Test.

One of the major factors, if not "the only reason." It will be simple to argue that they must price their wicket, but India's lower order may face a very different difficulty from swing and seam.

In the Anthony de Mello Trophy (England in India) in 2023/24, India's lower order managed to score 927 runs throughout the series at a respectable average of 25.75. However, when they played New Zealand at home, even that comfort was taken away from them, as the lower order averaged just 12.26.

These days, it's been even harder to find the grit when away from home. Despite Nitish Reddy's excellent runs, the lower order (6-11) in Australia averaged 17.83 in 2024/25, but only 10.46 in South Africa in 2023/24.

This is where runs from the lower order can really make a difference, even if the conditions are difficult. England was on the ropes at 124/8 in the second Test at Nottingham in 2011, but Stuart Broad (64) and Graeme Swann (28) helped the hosts reach 221. India responded with 288 before England scored 544 in their second attempt. India were bowled out for 158 in the fourth innings, losing the series 4-0.

During his fourth Test in Southampton in 2018, Sam Curran's rearguard play (78) helped England recover from 86/6 to 246. India was unable to take advantage of the opportunity, and the hosts prevailed by 60 runs. The score of the series was 4-1. India may learn from these two instances. If necessary, just persevere and get the unpleasant runs.

Perhaps some of the newer team members are on a learning curve, but it's not necessary for the team management to explain everything.

Right now, Gambhir is trying to rely on something intangible called pride. “Every defeat is bad. Whether a team is young or experienced is not the issue. It's an Indian side. For the sake of our nation, we are proud to win every match. A young squad is not an excuse. We are the voice of 1.4 billion proud citizens of India. We'll do our very best. No justification is acceptable. Every Test will be approached with the mindset that we can win both the Test and the series.

India will hope that the discrepancy between Gambhir's vision and India's reality won't be as significant at Edgbaston during the second Test as it was at Headingley. If it is, the fans and players may have a very protracted series.

Read Also: Gambhir Faces Backlash for Telling Rishabh to ‘Keep Scoring or Get Dropped’ in Press Conference

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