Shubman Gill’s debut as India’s Test captain began with promise but ended in disappointment as India failed to defend a target of 371 against England at Headingley. The five-wicket loss was a hard pill to swallow, especially after India posted five individual centuries and led in both innings before letting the game slip away.
England, chasing 371 on the final day, played aggressive cricket and succeeded in what many thought was an unlikely chase. Ben Duckett’s 149 and solid support from Zak Crawley, Joe Root and debutant Jamie Smith guided England to a record win. This was the second time in three years that England chased down more than 370 runs against India in Test cricket.
Shubman Gill Admits Mistakes After Tough Loss
After the match, Shubman Gill spoke openly about the team’s shortcomings. He pointed to missed chances and poor lower-order batting as key reasons for the defeat. “Drop catches, lower-order not contributing cost us. Yesterday, we were thinking of giving them 430, but our last wickets fell for 25,” Gill said in the post-match interview.
India’s second innings collapse saw the team lose six wickets for just 21 runs. Similarly, in the first innings, they lost seven wickets for only 41 runs. These collapses prevented India from setting a much larger target.
Dropped Catches and Lack of Finishing Hurts India
Fielding was another major concern. India dropped over six catches in the match, with Yashasvi Jaiswal alone responsible for four. These missed chances gave English batters, particularly Duckett, the opportunity to settle and pile on runs. The Indian bowlers, especially Jasprit Bumrah, struggled to find breakthroughs in the morning session on Day 5.
Despite the loss, Gill remained hopeful, calling it a learning experience for the young team. “It’s never a good sign to miss those chances. But we are a young team. It’s a learning curve, and we hope to improve,” he said.
With the series now 0-1, India have a week to regroup before the second Test begins at Edgbaston on July 2. The team will look to correct fielding mistakes and add more resilience to their batting lineup in hopes of leveling the series.
Stay tuned for all the latest Cricket news, match highlights, player analysis and viral moments!