How India went from 430/3 in the first innings and 287/3 in the second to losing a Test match is beyond comprehension. This team had five individual centuries across innings – two from Rishabh Pant alone – scored almost 800 runs, and still lost the game. Unbelievable. While the first Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy more than lived up to the hype, with both teams fighting tooth and nail to lay down a brilliant advert for Test cricket, India would rue their abysmal fielding, including six-plus dropped catches, which led to a five-wicket drubbing. In short, India snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, and there isn't much they can do about it other than ponder over the same and think of ways to bounce back.
Given the nature of the defeat, there is no shortage of reactions, with some renowned former Indian cricketers leading the way. Most prominent was Yuvraj Singh, who reminded this young team led by Shubman Gill that the defeat may hurt but it isn't the end of the road, with four Test matches still to go. Yuvraj acknowledged the grind of Test cricket, praising both teams for keeping it going almost until the very end. Despite the loss, Yuvraj was impressed by what he saw of the Indian team, urging them to hit the ground running even harder.
"Test cricket at its finest - intense, challenging and unforgiving. Five days of a high-quality game and a result that could’ve gone either way! Our young team showed fight and belief, the kind that wins you games in the long run. Fell short, but far from done! The series is still alive," he posted on X.
{{/usCountry}}"Test cricket at its finest - intense, challenging and unforgiving. Five days of a high-quality game and a result that could’ve gone either way! Our young team showed fight and belief, the kind that wins you games in the long run. Fell short, but far from done! The series is still alive," he posted on X.
{{/usCountry}}Harbhajan wants an immediate change in India's Playing XI
Meanwhile, Yuvraj's former India and Punjab teammate Harbhajan Singh reckons India need to shake things up a little bit to stage a comeback. India has a good seven-day break before the 2nd Test begins at Edgbaston in Birmingham, but the ex-India spinner believes the team management needs to figure out a way to bring Kuldeep Yadav into the mix. With Ravindra Jadeja getting plenty of purchase from the rough and pacers pretty much proving ineffective, India probably felt the absence of a second spinner. Who Kuldeep replaces, though, makes for an interesting call, believes Harbhajan.
"The pressure is now on India because when you trail 0-1, you need to learn and move ahead. I feel Kuldeep Yadav should get a game in the next game. If he comes into the XI, India will have more wicket-taking options. Now who does he replace? Shardul Thakur? I had said that he needs to bowl more but he was brought into the attack when England needed some 100-120 runs. He deserves a proper opportunity. If you consider him a batter who can bowl a bit, that's incorrect. He's a bowler who can bat a bit," said Harbhajan on his YouTube channel.
"This improvement must be made in the next Test. Otherwise, like I said, this is a tour of England at the end of the day. Many strong and big teams have failed to win here. If you play in a way that you get 450 runs in the first innings, and the lose, I feel it's an opportunity missed."