India Lose Southampton Test by 60 Runs, Suffers Test Series Defeat Vs England: Reasons Why Virat Kohli-led Team India is 3-1 Down Against The Hosts!

The series defeat against England doesn’t come as a surprise, given that how the Indian team has performed against the hosts; the loss seemed imminent! There was a glimmer of hope for India to bounce back after a victory in the third Test match at Nottingham, but all expectations swiftly vapoured in the air with each falling wicket on Day 4.

For the number 1 Test team, as per the latest ICC rankings, India didn’t play as they were Champions in the format. Many reasons can be attributed to India’s series loss to England.

From failed opening combinations to inconsistent middle order, everything that could go with India, went wrong for them, eventually. The contributions from the lower order weren’t handy either. Also, India’s long-term nemesis – wiping off the opponent’s lower order – only worsened their cause.

As India slumped to 3-1 series defeat against England, on Saturday, in the fourth Test match at Southampton, plenty went wrong with the Virat Kohli-led Indian team. We take a look at the reasons for India’s debacle in the five-match Test series.

1. Failed top order

India tried three opening combinations in four Test matches. The frequent changes at the top not only robbed them of their consistency but also instilled insecurity in them, i.e. losing their place in the side.

In six innings that he played, Shikhar Dhawan managed to score a total of 158 runs, whereas his partner KL Rahul, scored 113 runs in eight innings. Murali Vijay had dismal outings, where he could only score 26 runs in four innings that he played.

2. Inconsistent Middle Order

Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane blew hot and cold throughout the series. Their inconsistency in their batting performances saw them fail to capitalise on the starts they got. The duo was unable to put on big scores, which eventually hurt India’s chances.

3. Too much reliance on Virat Kohli

The star performer of the Indian team, skipper Kohli has scored 544 runs so far – the most by any batsman in the series. His run tally is more than the next two Indians in the list, i.e. Pujara (241 runs) and Rahane (220 runs). India’s reliance on Kohli cost them huge as the Indian captain could not find reliable support from the other end.

4. Wicket-keepers Dinesh Karthik and Hardik Pandya

In the first two Test matches, Dinesh Karthik failed to replicate his tremendous form in this series. The manner in which he was being dismissed was baffling too. His replacement, Rishabh Pant didn’t impress one too many either while batting. However, he had a great start behind the stumps; it was his underwhelming performances in front of the stumps is what hurt India.

5. All-rounder Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya was touted to be India’s vital cog before the series. A lot of was being said about the fast bowling all-rounder before the series. However, barring a five-wicket haul and a half-century against his name, Pandya has failed to live up to his expectations.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 03, 2018 10:18 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).