English captain Root takes responsibility for Lord’s defeat

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Cricket – Second Test – England v India – Lord’s Cricket Ground, London, Great Britain – August 16, 2021 Englishman Joe Root reacts Action Images via Reuters / Paul Childs

Aug. 17 (Reuters) – England captain Joe Root took responsibility for his side’s loss to India in the second test at Lord’s on Monday, saying he was tactically wrong on placement and bowling.

India said 298-8 after an unbroken stand of 89 at the ninth wicket between tails Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah left the visitors in control, before England were knocked out for 120 and fell to a loss of 151 points. Read more

Shami and Bumrah’s partnership was a “pivotal” moment of the match, said Root, expressing disappointment at England’s inability to restrict India’s second innings.

“I don’t think we handled this tactically well enough. It put us in a difficult position. A lot of things rest on my shoulders as captain. We went from a position where we could win to being behind.” said Root.

“We have to give them a little credit. They scored in unusual areas and made it difficult to set up conventional pitches and you were trying to run the wickets without letting the game slip away.

“I expected that we would be able to beat the last two sessions. There is nothing to hide, we have to do to improve.

“Everyone’s in pain. It’s very raw right now. I feel the same as every player in this dressing room: it’s a missed opportunity.”

The third test of the five-game series, which India leads 1-0, will start on August 25 at Headingley.

Root, who was fired by Bumrah for 33 after posting an unbeaten 180 in the opening innings, was hopeful his team would rediscover their batting form and said there was no need to press the panic button.

“When you say hitting, it’s a collective. There have been many occasions in my career where others have taken me through games,” he said.

“There is still a lot of cricket to play. A lot can happen in three games. Now is not the time to panic.”

Reporting by Hritika Sharma in Bangalore; Editing by Peter Rutherford

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