England head coach Brendon McCullum acknowledged that a key tactical misstep contributed significantly to their heavy defeat in the second Test at Edgbaston. Talking about the loss, McCullum admitted that it was the toss where his team made a crucial error in judgement, which ultimately cost them the match and allowed India to level the series. On the flat track, England allowed India to bounce back from 200/5 in the first innings as Shubman Gill's magnificent double hundred helped India post 587. Meanwhile, unlike the English pacers, the Indian duo of Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep understood the assignment on the Edgbaston surface and helped the visitors take a crucial 180-run lead after the first innings with their stellar bowling performance.
Shubman and Co. registered a mammoth 336-run - their first at Edgbaston as they thoroughly outperformed England throughout the Test to level the series 1-1. They pushed England out of their comfort position and pushed them against the wall by setting a mammoth 608-run target.
McCullum said that they missed an opportunity at the toss and trailed throughout the match.
"I think, as the game unfolded, we probably looked back on that toss and said did we miss an opportunity there and it's probably fair," McCullum told BBC Test Match Special.
England also opted to bowl first at Headingley and leaked over 470 runs in the first innings, but they somehow managed to bounce back and registered a win after a big chase in the fourth innings. However, they didn't learn from it and repeated the same after winning the toss but this time, India were right on the money throughout five days with their tactics.
Also Read | Virat Kohli 'misses dressing room' after India beat England, told to 'come back': 'He wouldn't mind No. 3 if Gill…'
The English head coach said that they read the pitch wrong, and when they managed to put pressure on India by reducing half their side to 200 in the first innings, they just failed to capitalise on that.
{{/usCountry}}The English head coach said that they read the pitch wrong, and when they managed to put pressure on India by reducing half their side to 200 in the first innings, they just failed to capitalise on that.
{{/usCountry}}"We didn't expect that the wicket would play quite as it did and hence we probably got it slightly wrong. But we did have them 200 for 5 and we weren't able to capitalise on that position and when you win the toss and bowl you're hoping to, well you're not anticipating the opposition's going to score 580 and then from that point we're behind the game," he added.
Also Read | Shubman Gill hunts for journalist who taunted him with Edgbaston stat and doubted India: ‘This is the best Indian team’
McCullum pinpoints only positive for England
The only thing that went in England's favour during the second Test was the 303-run partnership between Jamie Smith and Harry Brook in the first innings. The duo launched a stunning counterattack, completely shifting the momentum of the game. They forged a remarkable 303-run sixth-wicket partnership, a record-breaking stand that not only pulled England out of immediate peril but also ensured they avoided the follow-on and posted a respectable total.
McCullum also called it only positive for England in the game, which kept them alive in the game.
"It was only a brilliant partnership from Jamie Smith and Harry Brook which gave us any balance in the game throughout the five days. That's something we've got to look at," he added.
Meanwhile, the head coach clarified that England's strategy isn't rigid, but conceded that a misjudgment of the Edgbaston pitch significantly contributed to their defeat. He affirmed the team's strategic flexibility, yet acknowledged that an incorrect pitch assessment resulted in decisions that ultimately backfired, placing England at a disadvantage from the start.
"We're not rigid with our plans. It's just we thought this pitch might get better to bat on as we went through the five days but as we saw it didn't," he added.