India absolutely thumped England in the final day of the Lord’s Test to secure a historic win. The Indian tail led by Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah batted brilliantly to get the side to a safe position and launch an offensive at the same time. India declared immediately after lunch and with 60 overs left in the day, bowled the opposition out to seal the Test match.
England players looked extremely under the cosh during the match and former Indian batting great Sunil Gavaskar believes that the visitors have dealt them a massive psychological blow. The hosts seemed to have little control over their own fate and if things remain this way, the remaining matches in the series could prove to be a nightmare for them.
“India have dealt a psychological blow to England and it will take a superhuman effort from the home team to come back in the series. Yes, cricket is a game of uncertainties and things can turn around quite dramatically but for that to happen it will take a miracle,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for The Telegraph India.
The top-order has been an area of massive concern for England recently. In the Lord’s Test both Rory Burns and Dom Sibley were dismissed for ducks within the first two overs. Nobody in the England batting order has managed to impress with the exception of their captain Joe Root who has scored a couple of centuries and a half-century already in his four innings thus far.
“At the start of the fifth day’s play, the general thinking was that England would win the game. But, on a last day pitch even 180 would have been tough as seen by the team being dismissed for 120 and losing by a big margin. Their batting depends so much on Root that if he doesn’t hold the innings together, then the innings comes apart at the seams,” Gavaskar added.
Gavaskar further went on to praise England all-rounder Ben Stokes and called him a once-in-a-generation player. Stokes pulled out of the series against India and decided to take an indefinite break to focus on his mental health. It goes without saying that England have missed his services terribly.
“If I were Joe Root, I would be on the hooter to Ben Stokes and implore him to come back and play for he is the kind of impact player who can turn it around for England. Sadly someone who was born to play the game is unable to do so and that’s not just England’s misfortune but that of the cricketing world too, for players like Stokes are once-in-a-generation cricketers,” wrote Gavaskar.
