After a whirlwind of a Test match at Headingly, Leeds, one thing was absolutely certain – the ENG vs IND Test series will live up to its billing. Shubman Gill and co. punched above their weight in the 1st Test to come extremely close to winning the Test.
Ahead of the series, the chips were stacked up against the Indian cricket team. Two doyens of the team, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, had called it quits from Test cricket and there was a huge leadership vacuum in the side.
Even seasoned off-spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin, had retired from Test cricket and the side was a young one – barring a few senior pros in the form of KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja.
India eventually lost the game by a close margin but they sent out a huge statement – India were here to bag the honours of the series.
What were the positives for the Indian cricket team in the 1st Test?
Led by Shubman Gill, the batting department of India played extremely well in Leeds. While star wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant slammed twin tons in the game, Shubman Gill led from the front and scored a century in the 1st innings.
KL Rahul took up ownership and scored 137 runs in the 2nd innings. These were some of the biggest positives for the Indian cricket team and they would be hoping to continue their splendid form.
What went wrong for the Indian cricket team at Leeds?
The bowling department looked extremely fragile! It felt like the entire team was revolving around Jasprit Bumrah, the ace pacer of India. Bumrah bagged 5 wickets in the 1st innings and led by example.
But the likes of Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna flattered to deceive in the game and failed to perform well.
Krishna did take 5 wickets in the entire Test, combining the 1st and the 2nd innings but he failed to create pressure on the opposition batters.
