3 Major Talking Points From India vs England 1st Test

Jatin

India lost the first Test vs England by 5 wickets [Source: @Pandeyshruti252/x.com]India lost the first Test vs England by 5 wickets [Source: @Pandeyshruti252/x.com]

India came into the first Test vs England with hopes high and a fresh-looking squad under Shubman Gill but walked away licking their wounds. A five-wicket defeat to England at Headingley might look decent on paper, but don’t let the margin fool you because India were outplayed when it mattered the most.

Despite five centuries across two innings, the visitors somehow managed to come second in a two-horse race. There were sparks, no doubt but not enough fire to finish the job.

Let’s take a look at 3 major talking points from IND vs ENG 1st Test

1. Lower Order Batting: A Collapse Waiting To Happen

India’s top-order did the heavy lifting. The middle order chipped in too but once the top five walked back, the rest folded like a pack of cards.

In the first innings, India were 430 for 3 and looking good to post a 550-plus total. But then came a collapse that has started to feel all too familiar. The last seven wickets added just 41 runs. Total? 471. That’s 80-100 runs left on the table. 

And England? Their tail wagged nicely, adding 112 from the last six batters. That late charge helped them match India’s total and shift momentum their way.

Second innings, same story. From 333 for 4 to 364 all out. That is six wickets gone for just 31 runs. It was a nosedive. When the game reaches the business end, these 50-70 run deficits from the lower order can change the tide. And that is exactly what happened.

2. One-Dimensional Pace Attack

India’s bowling plan felt flat literally and tactically. Jasprit Bumrah was once again the standout but beyond him, there was very little bite in the attack. All four seamers: Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur are right-arm pacers. No variation in angle, no difference in trajectory. It all looked a bit too same-same.

Prasidh and Shardul bowl high-arm, Siraj and Bumrah bring it in but they all operate in the same zone. Someone like Arshdeep Singh, with his left-arm swing, could have added much-needed variety. England’s batters had no trouble lining up India’s seamers once they settled in.

Krishna picked up five wickets but leaked runs at over 6 an over. Siraj looked off-colour, finishing with just two wickets. Thakur got two as well but bowled only 16 overs across the match. Jadeja grabbed four but was far from his best, spraying it around and failing to control the tempo. The bowling lacked rhythm and with no pressure from the non-Bumrah end, England kept ticking along.

3. Catching Woes: Jaiswal’s Nightmare In The Slips

If there is one thing that can break a bowling unit’s back faster than flat pitches, it is sloppy catching and India were guilty of that in abundance at Headingley. The team dropped 10 catches in the match, their most in a men’s Test since 2011, when they spilled as many against West Indies. To put it into perspective, that’s as many drops as India had across their last six Tests combined.

Leading the blooper chart was Yashasvi Jaiswal, who had a forgettable time in the field. The young opener put down four crucial chances, and each one came back to haunt India: Those missed chances added up to 165 extra runs. It wasn’t just the number of drops but who was dropped and when.

England’s momentum was fuelled by second lives, and India’s fielding frailties let them off the hook again and again. For Jaiswal, it was a tough outing in the slips, a position where reflexes and focus can make or break games. For India, it was a reminder that no matter how good your bowlers are, if you don’t hold your chances, you will end up chasing shadows.

Conclusion

The loss at Headingley was about India not capitalising when they were ahead. They were in command for large parts of the match but let the game drift away. The lower-order meltdowns, lack of bowling variety and abysmal catching hurt them more than England’s brilliance.

The signs are there. This team has potential. But unless they address these three issues fast, the series could slip away quicker than expected. 

The batters have shown fight but cricket matches are won by teams that bat deep, bowl smart and catch well. 

India needs all. And they need it now!