Manjrekar identifies factors behind India trailing 1-2 against England despite playing good brand of cricket

New Delhi [India], July 18 (ANI): Former cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar dissected India's tactical ploy and underscored the factors conspiring against them, allowing England to lead 2-1 in the five-match series for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, even after playing a good brand of cricket, reported ESPNcricinfo.

Shubman Gill's first assignment as India Test skipper began with a five-wicket pummelling from England at Headingley. India bounced back in Birmingham to stand triumphant for the first time following a thumping 336-run triumph.

Despite a late, stubborn act from Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj, India agonisingly fell to a 22-run defeat at the 'Home of Cricket', Lord's. India's valiant effort was recognised by many, and former cricketers felt that after putting in an incredible amount of effort, it would have been a hard pill to swallow for the tourists.

While decoding India's gut-wrenching defeats in Leeds and London, several moments can be identified with the naked eye where England seized the crucial moments. At Headingley, the twin tail-end batting collapses and several dropped opportunities came to haunt India. In London, Rishabh Pant's run out, KL Rahul dropping Jamie Smith on five, and a mini-collapse in the first innings contributed to India's defeat.

Manjrekar believes India made mistakes, but none of them were "blunders". He considers India's mindset of using spinners as an afterthought to be a contributing factor to their downfall at Lord's. If the visitors had used Washington Sundar, who scythed a four-wicket haul, when England were dwindling at 87/4, India could have forced the Three Lions to pack on 140.

"The theme of the series has been that they lost the first Test, but they won a lot of hearts at the way they played. They won the second Test but lost the third, a very close contest. They made a few mistakes, but I would say they didn't make blunders, which are obvious. Sometimes you get frustrated by those obvious mistakes. But I don't think there were any big mistakes that cost India the game," Manjrekar said on ESPNcricinfo Match Day.

Manjrekar didn't spill the names but claimed that India comes out with a batter who isn't contributing and an all-rounder who is playing out of his preferred position. According to him, if India can sort out its combination, then piling up more runs on the board would become a much easier task.

"The run out that could have been one reason, we have one batter who is not contributing. We have one all-rounder who is not given the right position. All those could add up, and if those things get better, India could put more runs on the board. Some small mistakes, I think India goes to spin as an afterthought; when nothing works, they go to spin. Had they gone earlier with Washington Sundar, there could have been perhaps a collapse," he said.

"I thought, after having England reeling the way they did in the morning session, they should have closed the game and had them out at 140 instead of allowing them to get to 190. As I said, no big blunders, but you can see where India let go of the advantage," he added.

India will aim to cut down the deficit once again as they head to Manchester for the fourth Test, which is scheduled to begin on Wednesday at Old Trafford. (ANI)

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